DHAKA: The national campaign begins on Saturday to feed vitamin ‘A-plus’ capsule over 20 million children aged between 6 months and five years.

Children aged between six and 11 months are being given the blue-colored high-powered Vitamin A capsule, while children aged between one to five years are receiving the red-colored capsule.

The National Vitamin A-plus Campaign is being observed across the country on Saturday to prevent childhood blindness and reduce child mortality and strengthen immunity.

Health Ministry sources said that the growth rate of feeding vitamin A-plus capsule has jumped to 98 percent so that the threat of blindness has almost abolished.

The Health Minister Mohammad Nasim said that vitamin A-plus not only prevents night-blindness but also strengthen immunity and reduce child mortality.

If the program is observed properly in the country then 24 percent child mortality will be reduced, he added.

The minister further said that “We are promised to avail the medical service door to door so we are putting our relentless efforts for that.”

“We don’t wish to see any child suffering from malnutrition or blindness anymore,” he added.

Mohammad Nasim further said that “Blindness is a curse for a life, family as well as nation so we should get over it.”

The main objective of this campaign is to include each and every child under this program. So the parents as well as other family members should be awakened about this matter.

Some 120,000 permanent centers and 20,000 mobile centers were set up across the country to make the campaign successful. At least three volunteers will work at each centre and other volunteers will avail door to door service on next four days of the campaign in remote areas.

The centers will be open for all from 8:00am to 4:00pm to facilitate the service. However the children are suggested to have proper food and be in a playful manner before feeding the capsule.

Earlier, there several meetings were held in union, upazila, district and division levels in this regard to make the campaign successful.

BDST: 0952 HRS, APR 05, 2014