Vitamin A Plus campaign begins nationwide

The government on Sunday (June 28) launched the national Vitamin A Plus Campaign, targeting approximately 2.55 crore children aged six to 59 months across the country with Vitamin A capsules.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain inaugurated the campaign at the Shaheed Abu Sayed Convention Hall of Bangladesh Medical University in the capital.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the minister underscored Vitamin A's critical role in bolstering children's immunity and preventing infectious diseases, including measles, and urged that no child within the target age group be left out of the programme.

Sakhawat Hossain disclosed that the previous government had failed to ensure adequate supplies of both vaccines and Vitamin A capsules. The shortfall was subsequently addressed with support from UNICEF. The government currently holds a stock of 2.60 crore capsules — both red and blue variants — sufficient to meet the campaign's targets.

Responding to journalists' questions on vaccine quality, the minister said all vaccines brought into the country had been procured following rigorous international quality assessments and laboratory testing in coordination with UNICEF.

He also assured that any child who misses the capsule on the first day of the campaign will be covered on subsequent days, with the government committed to reaching every targeted child before the programme concludes.

The minister additionally stressed the importance of newborn nutrition, calling on parents to ensure infants receive colostrum immediately after birth, alongside age-appropriate safe water, balanced diet, and adequate nutrition to support healthy growth and immune development.

The inauguration was attended by Health Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, Director General of Health Services Professor Dr Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Additional Directors General Professor Dr Zahid Rayhan and Professor Dr Fawara Tasmim, Director of the National Institute of Public Health Nutrition Dr Mohammad Yusuf Ali, and other senior health officials.