RANGPUR, Feb 6, 2019 (BSS) – Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa today sought media cooperation in providing Vitamin A Plus Capsule to under-five children to increase their resistance to deceases.
Mostafa made the call at a press conference held at conference room of Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) here for making the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign (second round)-2019 to be held on February 9 successful.
The campaign will be conducted under auspices of the Public Health and Nutrition Institute and National Nutrition Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Planning and assistance of the UNICEF.
Presided over by Chief Medical Officer of RpCC Dr Kamruzzaman Ibne Taz, City Coiuncilors, Secretary of RpCC Abu Saleh Md Musa Jongi and its Health Inspector Abdul Kaiyum attended the event.
Mayor Mostafa said 634 volunteers under supervisions of 77 supervisors and eight satellite monitoring teams will provide Vitamin A Plus Capsules at 295 outreach centres in all 33 wards of the city from 8 am to 4 pm on the day.
Some 19,233 babies (six to 11 months) and one lakh six thousand and 996 babies (12 to 59 months) will be administered with one dose of one lakh unit Vitamin A Plus Blue Capsule and one dose of two lakh unit of Vitamin A Red Capsule each respectively.
The city mayor said Vitamin A Plus Capsule has no side effect in general, parents must not be afraid if their babies would show vomiting tendency after taking the capsule and, if any, asked them to contact with health officials concerned immediately.
“Special steps will be taken to ensure administering of Vitamin A capsules to the under-five babies at bus stands, rail stations and other places to make the campaign a complete success,” he said.
The under- five babies, who were immunised with Vitamin A Plus Capsules anytime during the past four months period, do not need to be immunised during the campaign.
Mostafa urged the media workers for creating public awareness to make the campaign successful for preventing various diseases of babies and ensure their healthy growth by increasing disease resistant capacities.
Dr Taz discussed importance of continuation of Vitamin A supplementation for the under-five babies to prevent mal- nutritional blindness, especially night blindness, bitot’s spots and corneal lesions.