Immunisation days: ‘Vitamin A could cut child mortality by a quarter’
Govt to provide Vitamin A doses to 14m children from Oct 15 to 17.
LAHORE:
The Health Department will provide Vitamin A doses to over 14 million children during the National Immunisation Days from October 15 to 17, said Dr Tanwir Ahmed, the director for health services at the Punjab Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI), on Wednesday.
Addressing a training workshop organised by the Health Department and the Micronutrient Initiative, Dr Ahmed said that Vitamin A deficiency could lead to many serious health problems like night blindness, poor immunity against diseases and increased mortality from measles.
He said that a twice-a-year Vitamin A supplementation could reduce the child mortality rate by 23 per cent, the proportion of children’s deaths attributed to diseases linked with Vitamin A deficiency.
Munawwar Hussain, the Punjab programme manager of the Micronutrient Initiative, said that Vitamin A deficiency was common across Pakistan.
He said that according to the National Nutrition Survey 2011, over 23 per cent of children had a severe Vitamin A deficiency and 33 per cent a mild deficiency.
He said that 10 per cent of pregnant women reported suffering from night blindness.
He said that the Micronutrient Initiative donated 28 million Vitamin A capsules to the Punjab government every year and would continue to do so.
Dr Inamul Haq, the Lahore executive district officer for health, said that measures had been taken to ensure that Vitamin A capsules were given to all children between the ages of 6 months and 59 months. He said frontline workers of the Health Department had been trained for the National Immunisation Days.
Dr Saeed Akhtar, the district officer for health, briefed the participants on the campaign for Vitamin A supplementation and on the need to train workers and involve communities to make the campaign a success.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2012.
The Health Department will provide Vitamin A doses to over 14 million children during the National Immunisation Days from October 15 to 17, said Dr Tanwir Ahmed, the director for health services at the Punjab Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI), on Wednesday.
Addressing a training workshop organised by the Health Department and the Micronutrient Initiative, Dr Ahmed said that Vitamin A deficiency could lead to many serious health problems like night blindness, poor immunity against diseases and increased mortality from measles.
He said that a twice-a-year Vitamin A supplementation could reduce the child mortality rate by 23 per cent, the proportion of children’s deaths attributed to diseases linked with Vitamin A deficiency.
Munawwar Hussain, the Punjab programme manager of the Micronutrient Initiative, said that Vitamin A deficiency was common across Pakistan.
He said that according to the National Nutrition Survey 2011, over 23 per cent of children had a severe Vitamin A deficiency and 33 per cent a mild deficiency.
He said that 10 per cent of pregnant women reported suffering from night blindness.
He said that the Micronutrient Initiative donated 28 million Vitamin A capsules to the Punjab government every year and would continue to do so.
Dr Inamul Haq, the Lahore executive district officer for health, said that measures had been taken to ensure that Vitamin A capsules were given to all children between the ages of 6 months and 59 months. He said frontline workers of the Health Department had been trained for the National Immunisation Days.
Dr Saeed Akhtar, the district officer for health, briefed the participants on the campaign for Vitamin A supplementation and on the need to train workers and involve communities to make the campaign a success.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2012.