A capsule, a future!

Manzurul Alam Mukul: According to a study, each year 4,013,000 children are born in Bangladesh, of whom 277,000 do not live to see their fifth birthday.  Impact of vitamin-A deficiency is one of the causes of the deaths.

Vitamin A is essential to the immune system. The supplements increase children`s resistance to disease, as well as improving their chances for survival, growth and development. But it is the reality that our food generally is deficient in essential nutrients. Also, the rate of various infections among our children is very high. These contribute to high child mortality and morbidity in Bangladesh.

Another factor is night blindness- a sign of severe malnutrition among children. Night blindness in 1 percent or more children is considered a serious national health problem.

In a low nutrition and high infection society, our children need to be protected against death and diseases through supplementation of extra nutrition and protection. 

Improving the vitamin A status of children increases their chances of survival, cutting measles fatalities by up to 50 percent, diarrhoea fatalities by 40 percent and overall mortality by 25 percent, according to UNICEF. 

Bangladesh conducts two vitamin A supplementation campaigns each year, with the first one `The National Vitamin A Plus Campaign-2015` is being held across the country today (April 25) with a view to preventing childhood blindness, reducing child mortality rate and strengthening immunity.

Over 2.15 crore  children are being fed vitamin A capsule today across the country to protect them from night-blindness and strengthen their immune system, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sources.

But due to different steps, Bangladesh has achieved a huge success in improving health conditions. The successful programs for immunization, control of diarrhoeal diseases and Vitamin A supplementation are considered to be the most significant contributors to the decline in child and infant deaths along with potential effect of overall economic and social development.

According sources, in 1982, 3.76 per cent children suffered from blindness for vitamin A deficiency and only 0.04 per cent children now suffer blindness problem. It is possible to cut 25 percent child mortality from the country through successful implementation of the heath programs. 

Despite these improvements, there are challenges ahead. While the mortality rates have improved, major inequalities among the population still need to be addressed. Childhood injuries, especially drowning, have emerged as a considerable public health problem responsible for a full quarter of the deaths among children from one to four years of age.

There is a survey that if the Vitamin A Plus Campaign is withdrawn now, chances are that severe child malnutrition might begin to revive to rates of 20 years ago, an UNICEF official said.

So, all guardians should be aware of Vitamin A Plus Campaign and bring their children in centres to feed capsules, avoiding the tendency to believe in propaganda by a vested quarter that the children may die after taking the capsule.

risingbd/DHAKA/April 25, 2015