Vitamin 'A' Plus Campaign begins after 14 months

After a long 14-month break, the National Vitamin 'A' Plus Campaign is starting nationwide on June 28. On this day, from 8am to 4pm, more than 23.5 million children aged 6 to 59 months will be given Vitamin 'A' capsules.

The Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN) said that a total of 23.5 million 14,972 children have been targeted for this campaign.

Of these, 28.38 million 794 children aged 6 to 11 months will be given blue-colored Vitamin 'A' capsules and 25.76 million 178 children aged 12 to 59 months will be given red-colored Vitamin 'A' capsules.

Dr. Mohammad Yunus Ali, Director of the Institute of Public Health Nutrition, said that about 120,000 centers have been prepared in different parts of the country for the successful implementation of the campaign. These centers are basically regular centers of the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI).

In addition, 500 additional mobile centers have been set up at various important locations including launch docks, ferry docks, railway stations and bus stations so that no child is left out of this program.

He said that the necessary vitamin 'A' capsules have already reached the country and the work of supplying them at the field level is also underway. He urged the guardians to go to the nearest center and feed the capsules to their children.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain will inaugurate the program nationally through a program organized at the Abu Sayeed Convention Center in Shahbagh in the capital. State Minister for Health Dr. MA Muhith and Prime Minister's Health Advisor Dr. SM Ziauddin Haider will be present at the program.

The campaign will also be inaugurated and implemented at the district and upazila levels with the participation of local public representatives, health workers and volunteers. Intensive monitoring arrangements have also been made at the field level under the supervision of civil surgeons and upazila health officers.

In order to especially reach children from remote areas, a 'Child to Child Searching' program will be conducted in 714 wards of 290 unions in 58 upazilas of 12 districts for four days after the campaign.

Health Ministry officials said that although the Vitamin 'A' campaign was supposed to be held twice a year as per the rules, it was not possible to organize any more programs after March 2025 due to the capsule shortage. As a result, this important program is being launched again after about 14 months.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said that the Vitamin 'A' capsule program, which has been suspended for a long time, is being restarted. To make it successful, everyone concerned will have to fulfill their responsibilities sincerely.

He urged the parents to take all children aged six months to five years to the nearest center between 8am and 4pm on June 28 and ensure that they are fed Vitamin 'A' capsules.

Experts say that vitamin 'A' plays an important role in preventing blindness due to malnutrition in children, increasing immunity, protecting against long-term diarrhea and reducing the risk of child mortality.

It is worth noting that the program of feeding vitamin 'A' capsules to children was started for the first time in Bangladesh in 1973. Later in 2003, it was named 'National Vitamin A Plus Campaign', which is currently being run as an important part of the National Nutrition Service Program.