2.26cr children to get Vitamin A capsules on 15 March

Highlights:

• Children aged six to 59 months to be fed capsules
• 1.20 lakh centres to be operational nationwide
• Community clinics, healthcare facilities are among centres
• Upazila and district control rooms to monitor campaign

Around 2.26 crore children aged six to 59 months will be given Vitamin A capsules on Saturday (15 March) through 1.20 lakh centres nationwide.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has urged all parents and guardians to take their children to the nearest centres – EPI vaccination centres, community clinics, or other healthcare facilities – to receive the Vitamin A capsule.

In a press release on 12 March, the ministry stated that it has made all necessary preparations to implement the campaign efficiently within a short period. On the campaign day, control rooms will be operational in every upazila and district to monitor the Vitamin A Plus campaign.

According to the press release, Vitamin A not only prevents blindness but also reduces the mortality rate of children under five by nearly one-quarter.

"Many of our children cannot receive adequate breast milk or the proper amount of Vitamin A-rich food. As a result, a significant portion of children under five suffer from Vitamin A deficiency and related diseases. To address this deficiency in a cost-effective and timely manner, it is essential to provide children with Vitamin A capsules," read the release.

If further said through the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign, Vitamin A has already been administered to 98% of children twice a year, resulting in a reduction of Vitamin A deficiency-related blindness to below 1% and a decrease in child mortality rates..