KHULNA – Speakers at an advocacy and action planning meeting here today underscored the need for making the National Vitamin A plus Campaign-2018 scheduled to be observed on July 14 next a total success.

They were addressing the meeting at School Health Clinic in the city. Khulna Civil Surgeon Office organised the event with a view to devising ways and means on how to make the programme a success.

Chaired by Khulna Civil Surgeon Dr ASM Abdur Razzak, Deputy Chief Information Officer of Press Information Department (PID) Md Javed Iqbal, Deputy Director of Family Planning Department Guru Prasad Ghosh, Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Atiar Rahman Ghosh and District Primary Information Officer Ramendranath Podder addressed the programme, among others.

Civil Surgeon Dr ASM Abdur Razzak said in Bangladesh vitamin A supplementation saves life of over 50,000 under five children each year along with reducing the severity and duration of illness like measles and diarrhea.

Besides, it ensures over 20 million under five children free from vitamin A deficiency and prevents nutritional blindness like night blindness, Bitot’s spots and corneal lesions.

The meeting was told that a total of 1,52,941 babies aged under 12-59 months will be administered red colour vitamin A capsule in Khulna district while a total of 81,067 babies will be administered red colour vitamin A
capsule in Khulna City Corporation(KCC) area.

Meanwhile, a total of 20,510 babies under 6-11 months will be administered blue-colour capsule in Khulna district while a total of 10,775 babies will be administered in KCC area.