The National Vitamin A Plus campaign will be held across the country on June 28. The campaign will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day. Nationally, a target has been set to give Vitamin A capsules to about 23,514,972 children aged 6 to 59 months through the campaign, with a target of 553,799 children in Dhaka district.
The figures were given by the civil surgeon of Dhaka district, Dr Mohammad Zillur Rahman, at a district-level press briefing on the campaign at the conference room of the Dhaka district civil surgeon’s office on Tuesday. The Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka district, Ms Farida Khanam, attended as chief guest, and the Superintendent of Police of Dhaka district, Shamima Parvin, as special guest. Also present were the deputy civil surgeon, Dr Sarkar Farhana Kabir, and medical officers Dr Md Ashikur Rahman, Dr Rifat Shamim, Dr Nuren Mubashshira Proba and Dr Fablina Nowshin.
In her address as chief guest, Deputy Commissioner Farida Khanam said everyone, from their respective positions, had to pay attention to ensuring that children could grow up in future as a healthy, merit-based nation. The government was working to create a healthy, merit-based generation, she said. Feeding Vitamin A capsules was essential so that children did not suffer long-term malnutrition and health risks, and there was no shortage of vaccines in Dhaka, she added.
In her address as special guest, the Superintendent of Police of Dhaka district, Shamima Parvin, said the Vitamin A campaign was a good government initiative and that it was everyone’s duty to cooperate with it. ‘We do not wish for any child to die from malnutrition. We want children everywhere to be healthy,’ she said, wishing the campaign success and saying she would include the various police units under her in the publicity drive.
The civil surgeon said the campaign would be held in Dhaka district as in the rest of the country on June 28. Under it, children aged 6 to 11 months will be given a blue (100,000 IU) Vitamin A capsule and those aged 12 to 59 months a red (200,000 IU) capsule. In Dhaka district, a target has been set to give the capsules to 75,117 children aged 6 to 11 months and 478,682 children aged 12 to 59 months, a total of 553,799 children. A total of 1,743 centres have been set up in Dhaka district, including 1,618 outreach centres and 125 extra centres. The extra centres have been set up at bus terminals, railway stations, launch ghats and ferry ghats to ensure services for the children of the floating population. A total of 3,486 volunteers and 292 government officials and staff will be on duty. Miking will be done in every ward before the campaign to inform the public, and publicity will also be conducted through mosques, temples and other religious institutions.
The Vitamin A capsules supplied by the government have been quality-tested in internationally accredited laboratories and are completely safe for children, the civil surgeon said. He specially urged guardians not to pay heed to any rumour or misleading information and to bring their children to the designated centres to receive the capsule.
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for a child’s healthy growth and development, the civil surgeon, Mohammad Zillur Rahman, said. It boosts a child’s immunity, helps prevent night blindness and other vision problems and maintains the normal functioning of the eyes. Taking Vitamin A also reduces the complications and risk of death from measles, diarrhoea and other infectious diseases, and helps maintain the normal health of the skin, respiratory tract and digestive system. The National Vitamin A Plus campaign, he said, was an important and far-reaching public-health programme of the government for improving child health, preventing malnutrition and tackling the health risks of Vitamin A deficiency.
Foods rich in Vitamin A include liver (beef, goat, chicken), fish oil, milk and dairy products, egg yolk, butter, cheese, carrot, ripe papaya, ripe mango, red and yellow fruits, pumpkin, red spinach, spinach, kolmi shak and other dark green leafy vegetables.
In special instructions for guardians, it was said that a child must be brought to the centre on a full stomach. A trained worker will cut the tip of the capsule with scissors and feed the child the liquid inside. A child must not be given the Vitamin A capsule by force or while crying. Children under six months, children over five years and sick children will not be given the capsule on the day of the campaign; if a child is unwell on the campaign day, the child can take the Vitamin A capsule from the nearest permanent EPI centre after recovering.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report