Bangladeshi PM inaugurates National Vitamin A Plus Campaign

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Saturday inaugurated the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign- 2011 with a call to play effective role by all concerned to make the program a success.

The prime minister formally launched the campaign nationwide by administering vitamin A capsules and deworming tablets to a number of children at her official residence here in Dhaka.

While inaugurating the campaign, the prime minister urged all concerned including teachers, students, political leaders and professionals to raise mass awareness to make the program a success.

Under the program, about 19 million children aged one to five years will be reached with life-saving vitamin A capsules and about 17 million children aged two to five years will receive deworming tablets.

The campaign would be conducted by the Institute of Public Health Nutrition under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to reduce risk of child mortality and preventing night blindness of the children due to vitamin A deficiency.

Prime Minister's Health Adviser Syed Modasser Ali told reporters at a press conference earlier on Thursday that health workers and volunteers will administer vitamin A capsules at 140, 000 sites located in health facilities, health centers, schools, as well as mobile sites including bus, boat and train stations, across the country from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time on May 29.

Bangash has been recognized globally as a pioneer in elimination of vitamin A deficiency as the first country in the South Asia to integrate vitamin A supplementation of children aged 1-5 years with the Polio National Immunization Days in 1995, he said.

Due to efforts of the Bangladeshi government and its partners, the coverage of vitamin A supplementation increased from around 50 percent in the mid-1990s to 96 percent in the recent years, Ali said.

On the other hand, the coverage of deworming tablets increased to 85 percent in recent years, he added.

Ali said it is estimated that vitamin A capsules save the lives of over 30,000 children per year in Bangladesh and reduce illness amongst thousands of others.

Night blindness, a sign of severe malnutrition among children, in Bangladesh has slide significantly from 3.7 percent in 1982-83 to 0.02 percent in the recent years.

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