BHOLA, June 27, 2026 (BSS) - The department of health has formed special mobile teams to administer vitamin A plus capsules to the children living in the remote coastal char areas of the district to ensure that no eligible child is left out of the nationwide campaign.

Talking to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Civil Surgeon of Bhola Dr Monirul Islam said the initiative has taken specifically for the isolated char communities scattered across the rivers. The mobile teams will visit households to identify eligible children and administer the capsules at their homes.

"The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has decided to deploy these mobile teams to ensure that not a single child is excluded from receiving the vitamin A plus capsule," he said.

He added that the teams will work for the next two days across 30 large and small chars in all seven upazilas of the district.

A visit to the remote char area of Madanpur found that residents had already been informed about the vitamin A+ campaign and were waiting for the arrival of the mobile teams.

Shahnaz Begum, a resident of ward no. 1 at Madanpur, said her son Abdullah is now two and a half years old. She admitted that she had previously lacked of awareness about vitamin A supplementation but had since become informed through health workers' awareness campaigns.

"This time I will make sure my child receives the vitamin A+ capsule," she said.

Another two mothers - Aklima and Khadija Begum, also said they became aware of the importance about the vitamin A capsule after receiving guidance from the health workers. 

They acknowledged that they had previously been unaware of the benefits of vitamin A supplementation and pledged not to neglect their children's health in future.

According to the district health authorities, approximately 2,93,136 children in Bhola will receive vitamin A plus capsules tomorrow. A total of 1,689 centres across the district will simultaneously conduct the campaign.

To support the drive, extensive awareness building activities including public announcements, leaflet distribution and community outreach have been underway in each of the upazila since Saturday morning.
Earlier, a press conference marking the National Vitamin A plus Campaign-26 was held at the conference room of the Civil Surgeon's Office on Thursday last.

Officials announced that children aged between six and 59 months in the district's seven upazilas and three administrative police station areas would receive a single dose of vitamin A plus capsules between 8am and 4 pm on Sunday.

Children aged six to 11 months will get a blue vitamin A capsule, while those aged 12 to 59 months will be given a red capsule.

According to the Civil Surgeon's Office, 619 health workers and 108 supervisors have been deployed at vaccination centres across the district to ensure that every eligible child is covered.

Dr. Monirul Islam reiterated that, in addition to fixed centres, special mobile teams would operate in the district's remote chars to achieve full coverage. He also stressed that parents should bring their children to the designated centres, adding that vitamin A capsules should not be taken home for later administration.