Bangladesh is set to conduct its National Vitamin A-plus campaign on Saturday, targeting over 22 million children aged six months to 59 months to prevent childhood blindness and reduce child mortality.
“Administering Vitamin A capsules prevents blindness in children, ensures normal growth, and reduces all types of child mortality by 24%, significantly lowering deaths from measles, diarrhea, and pneumonia,” said Prof. Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), during a Friday press briefing.
In cyclone-affected coastal regions, the campaign will be conducted at a later date. On the designated day, 2.7 million children aged six to 11 months will receive blue-colored vitamin A-plus capsules, while 19 million children aged 12 to 59 months will receive red-colored capsules.
Prof. Khurshid Alam urged parents to ensure their children receive the vitamin A-plus capsule to prevent any child from being left out. “Through successful implementation of this campaign, we can reduce child mortality by 24%,” he added.
The incidence of childhood blindness due to vitamin A deficiency has significantly decreased in Bangladesh, dropping from over 4% post-independence to just 0.01% currently. The campaign will involve 240,000 volunteers and 40,000 health workers administering Vitamin A capsules at health complexes and mobile health centers nationwide.
Health experts emphasize that vitamin A deficiency poses a serious threat to both maternal and child health, leading to blindness and increasing the risk of death from various diseases.
