Vitamin A+ campaign on July 16

Over 2 crore children, aged between six months and five years, will be fed Vitamin A-plus capsule under a national campaign on July 16. State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jahid Malek came up with the announcement on Thursday while talking to reporters at the Secretariat. Children, aged between six and 11 months, will be given the blue-coloured high-powered Vitamin A capsule while children, aged between 12 to 59 months, will receive the red-coloured one. The minister said children will be fed the vitamin A capsule at some 120,000 permanent health centres across the country. “Three volunteers will work at each centre to make the campaign a success,’’ he said adding that the rate of children’s night-blindness in the country has come down below one percent following the distribution of Vitamin A-plus capsules regularly. Besides, an additional 20,000 mobile centres will be set up at bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals, airports, ferry terminals, bridge toll centres and kheya ghats, and these will remain open from 8am to 4pm to make sure that all children are fed the capsules, he said. Responding a question about children falling sick after taking Vitamin A capsule, he said there will be no health problem as the capsules are brought from Denmark and recognised by WHO.unb