DHAKA : A nationwide Vitamin A campaign is set to begin on June 28, aiming to provide the life-saving supplement to more than 2.35 crore children aged between six and 59 months after a gap of nearly 14 months. 

The campaign, designed to prevent childhood blindness and combat malnutrition, will be conducted from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm across the country. However, child-to-child searching activities will continue for four additional days in hard-to-reach areas across 714 wards under 290 unions in 58 upazilas of 12 districts. 

Dr Mohammad Yunus Ali, Director of the National Nutrition Services (NNS) under the Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN), told BSS that all preparations for the campaign have been completed.

The campaign targets a total of 23,514,972 children. Of them, 2,838,794 children aged six to 11 months will receive blue Vitamin A capsules, while 20,676,178 children aged 12 to 59 months will be given red Vitamin A capsules. 

Dr Yunus Ali said around 120,000 centres have been prepared nationwide for the campaign, most of which are regular Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) centres. Besides, 500 mobile centres have been set up at launch terminals, ferry ghats, railway stations, bus terminals and other public places to facilitate access.

"Vitamin A capsules have already reached the field level. We are taking maximum preparations to ensure successful implementation of the campaign," he said, expressing hope that parents and guardians would bring their children to nearby centres to receive the capsules. 

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sources, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain will formally inaugurate the campaign at a function at Abu Sayeed Convention Centre in the capital's Shahbagh on the morning of June 28.

State Minister for Health Dr M A Muhit and Prime Minister's Adviser on Health Affairs Dr S M Ziauddin Hyder are expected to attend the inaugural ceremony.

The campaign will also be launched simultaneously at district and upazila levels, with local lawmakers joining administrative authorities. Field workers and volunteers will carry out the programme on the ground.

Civil Surgeons and Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers will monitor campaign activities at local levels through their respective teams, while central-level officials have also been directed to oversee implementation across the country.

Health officials said Vitamin A campaigns are normally conducted twice a year. However, due to a shortage of capsules, no nationwide campaign has been held since March last year. The June 28 programme marks the resumption of the initiative after a prolonged interruption.

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain urged all stakeholders to work sincerely to ensure the success of the campaign.

"We have resumed the Vitamin A campaign after a long suspension. I call upon everyone concerned to work wholeheartedly for its successful implementation," he said.

The minister also urged parents and guardians to ensure that all children aged six months to five years receive Vitamin A capsules by taking them to the nearest campaign centre between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm on the campaign day.

According to an awareness leaflet of the Institute of Public Health Nutrition, Vitamin A plays a crucial role in child health. Besides protecting children from nutrition-related blindness, it strengthens immunity, reduces the risk of prolonged diarrhoea and lowers child mortality.

Bangladesh first introduced Vitamin A supplementation in 1973 under the National Night Blindness Prevention Programme. In 1995, the initiative was integrated with National Immunization Days to strengthen its reach. 

The programme was renamed the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign in 2003 and was brought under the National Nutrition Services of the Directorate General of Health Services in 2011.