RANGPUR, Dec 19, 2017 (BSS) – Health officials here today urged media to play an important role aiming to make ‘the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign (Second Phase) 23 December- 2017’ a success.
They come up with the call at a press conference organised by Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) at its conference room.
The campaign will be conducted under the auspices of the Public Health and Nutrition Institute (PHNI) and National Nutrition Services (NNS) of the Health and Family Planning Ministry.
RpCC Chief Executive Officer Akhter Hossain Azad read out a written statement, citing various statistics and steps taken to provide Vitamin A Plus capsule to every under-five baby of the city.
“A total of 630 supervisors and volunteers will provide Vitamin A capsules to over 1.28 lakh under-five children at 297 outreach centres in all wards of the city on December 23 next,” he said.
Of them, 20,300 children aged between 6 and 11 months will get one dose of one lakh unit Vitamin A Blue capsule and over 1.08-lakh babies aged between 12 and 59 months will get one dose of two lakh unit Vitamin A Red capsule, he said.
RpCC Chief Health Officer Dr Kamruzzaman Ibne Taz said Vitamin A Plus capsule has no side effect, calling upon parents not to become afraid and contact health officials if their babies would show vomiting tendency after taking the capsules.
“Supplementation of Vitamin A reduces 30 percent measles- related and 33 percent diarrhoea-related death risks of the under-five babies,” Dr Taz added.
Akhter Hossain Azad urged journalists to play their vital role in creating social awareness to make the campaign a success for increasing disease resistant capacities of the babies to prevent various diseases.