Over two crore children fed vitamin A plus capsule

National Vitamin-A Plus campaign was observed yesterday across the country by giving vitamin-A Plus capsule to over 2.21 crore children aged between six months to 59 months to prevent childhood blindness and reduce child mortality.

Under the campaign, children, aged between six months and 11 months, were given blue capsule while children, aged between 12 and 59 months, were administered red capsule, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry sources said.

Health workers and volunteers fed vitamin-A Plus capsules to children at 1.20 lakh permanent and 20 thousand mobile centres across the country from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Mobile centres were set up at bus stops, airports and launch terminals and other transport points to give children vitamin-A plus capsules.

According to health experts, less than one percent children now suffer from blindness and such problems while the percentage of blindness for vitamin A deficiency was 3.74 in 1974.

 "With sincere efforts of the government, we have been able to reduce blindness problem," they added.

The impact of vitamin-A deficiency is not limited to only blindness, the experts said, adding that it increases death risk by causing various diseases.