Sultan Mahmood
Health experts at an advocacy meeting at Jashore on Tuesday called for providing Vitamin A to all under five babies to increase their disease resistant capacity and reduce death risks and prevent night blindness and other diseases.
They came up with the call at the advocacy meeting organised by civil surgeon office at Jashore 250-bed general hospital auditorium to make the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign to be held on January 11 (Saturday) successful.Deputy Commissioner of Jashore Shafiul Arif will be inaugurate the Vitamin A Plus Campaign programme at Upasahar Shishu Hospital at morning.
Civil surgeon Dr.Dilip Kumar Roy presided over the meeting while acting superintendent of Jashore 250 bed general hospital Dr Harun-Or-Rashid, Dr.Mashurul Haque Jewel, health department officials,Journalists were present on the occasion. Civil Surgeon Dr.Dilip Kumar Roy delivered welcome speech narrating about the importance of providing Vitamin A Plus Capsule to every under five baby to prevent various diseases for healthier growth.Vitamin A Plus Capsule has no side effect and asked the parents not to become afraid and contact the health officials concerned if their babies would show vomiting tendency after taking the capsule.
Supplementation of Vitamin A also reduces 30 percent measles-related and 33 percent diarrhoea-related death risks of the under five babies,CS added.
Civil Surgeon in his concluding speech called upon the parents, teachers, public representatives, civil society members and media persons to make the upcoming National Vitamin A Plus Campaign successful.
Dr.Mashurul Haque Jewel laid emphasis on providing Vitamin A Plus Capsule to every under- five baby to increase their disease resistant capacity for further reducing infant mortality rate and preventing night blindness.
Civil surgeon office sources said, A total of 3,18,940 children of 6 months to 5 years age group will be feed vitamin A plus capsule at 91 unions of eight upazilas and eight Municipalities in the district.Under the programme,the health department adequate measures to provide vitamin-A capsule (blue colour) of six months to 11 months baby to 36,370 childrens and vitamin-A capsule (red colour) to 2,82,570 childrens of one to five years age group.Some 5,133 field level health workers, volunteers and supervisors were engaged at 2,288 centres under the district to make the programme successful.