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Campaign for Prevention of Blindness

2 cr children to be given vitamin A capsule June 6

UNB, Dhaka
About two crore children of the 1-5 age group will be administered high-powered vitamin A capsule on June 6 across the country to protect them from blindness and strengthen their immune systems.
On the day, some 1.7 crore children of 2-5 years of age will also be given anti-helmenthic tablet each under a programme tided Vitamin A Plus Campaign', Prof Fatima Parveen Chowdhury, director of Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN), told the news agency.
She urged guardians to take their under-five children to the nearest vaccination centres so that they can properly be fed the tablets.
“The government carries out the campaign every year with a six-month interval across the country... This is an important step towards building a healthy nation,* she said.
The IPHN director said IPHN under a programme, Planning and Advocacy, is
now holding meetings at district and upazila levels across the country to make people aware to make the campaign a success.
“People from the administration, media and NGOs and other stakeholders are taking part in the planning and advocacy meetings," she said, adding that they would be mobilised at all vaccination centres to feed the capsule and anti-helmenthic tablet.
She said they have already completed similar meetings at all divisional headquarters. Gradually, they will go to upazila and union levels to make the people aware of the programme until the campaignends.
Prof Parveen said child blindness is still not a serious problem in Bangladesh. An estimated 0.04 percent of the children are suffering from night blindness, although the trend of blindness was 3.76 percent in the country a few years ago.
“Distributionof yi|aminA capsule among the children has certaihly reduced' the rate of night blindness in our country," the IPHN official
said referring to the last study report updated in 2006.
She further said that they are working in dealing with some other programmes, including Breast Meal Substitute (BMS Code), Universal Salt Iodination (USID), Bangladesh Nutrition (BAN Nut) and School Health.
The IPHN director said four lakh volunteers would take part in the campaign to successfully feed vitamin capsule and anti-helmenthic tablet to children from some 1.4 lakh centres. “Of them, some 1.2 lakh are fixed vaccination centres, while the rest will be opened at bus stands, launch terminals and railway stations and airports."
She said all volunteers under the direct supervision of civil surgeons would be given a one-day training locally on how to operate the campaign.
Prof Parveen stressed the ite^d for creating mas^ awareness about the nutritious didt^ry items through education and dissemina tion of information.