Daylong Vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign begins, over 2cr to be fed

The National Vitamin A-plus campaign is being conducted with a target to feed the capsules to over 2.22 crore children, aged between six months and 59 months.

The campaign started at 8am on Saturday (June 1) and will continue till 4pm.

Feeding Vitamin A capsules prevents blindness in children, ensures normal growth, reduces all types of child mortality by 24 percent and significantly reduces mortality from measles, diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Under the campaign, 27 lakh children, aged between six months and 11 months, will be given blue-colored vitamin A-plus capsules while 1.95 crore children, aged between 12 and 59 months, will be administered red-colored capsules on the day.

Vitamin A deficiency is a serious threat to both mother and child’s health, health experts said, adding that the impact of vitamin A deficiency is not only limited to blindness, but also increases death risk by causing various diseases.