Staff Correspondent
Dhaka: Dhaka Deputy Commissioner (DC) Farida Khanam has said that no child should face serious health risks due to a lack of awareness, urging all stakeholders to ensure that every eligible child receives Vitamin A+ supplementation.
Speaking at a press briefing held in Azimpur on Tuesday ahead of the National Vitamin A + Campaign 2026, she said the campaign would play a vital role in protecting children from malnutrition and health complications caused by Vitamin A+ deficiency.
“A healthy, strong, and intelligent nation can only be built by ensuring proper nutrition for children,” she said. “Vitamin A not only prevents childhood blindness and night blindness but also strengthens the immune system. It significantly reduces the severity of diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, and measles, while lowering the risk of child mortality.”
The Deputy Commissioner said the government’s goal is to ensure that no child in Dhaka district is deprived of the life-saving Vitamin A capsule. She called for coordinated efforts to bring children living in slums, among floating populations, and in other disadvantaged communities to designated vaccination centres.
Officials at the briefing said children aged six to 11 months will receive one blue Vitamin A capsule, while those aged 12 to 59 months will receive one high-dose red Vitamin A capsule under the campaign.
Addressing journalists, Farida Khanam described the media as one of the most effective platforms for raising public awareness. She urged journalists to actively disseminate information about the importance of Vitamin A supplementation so that more parents would be encouraged to bring their children to the designated centres.
She also praised the contributions of the National Nutrition Services, Save the Children, Helen Keller International, healthcare workers, volunteers, and partner organisations involved in implementing the campaign.
Expressing optimism about the programme, the Deputy Commissioner said that, with the combined efforts of all stakeholders, the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign would be successfully implemented across Dhaka district, helping build a healthier and stronger future generation.
The briefing also announced that the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign will be held simultaneously across the country on June 28. The campaign will run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a nationwide target of administering Vitamin A capsules to approximately 23.51 million children aged between six and 59 months. In Dhaka district alone, the target has been set at 553,799 children.
