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Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Bangladesh will conduct a nationwide Vitamin A Plus campaign on June 28, aiming to administer supplements to nearly 23.5 million children under five.
- The campaign, resuming after a suspension since March 2025, will operate through 120,000 centers, including mobile units.
- Funding gaps and procurement issues had delayed the campaign, which health experts deem vital for children's immunity and nutritional status.
Bangladesh is set to launch a nationwide Vitamin A Plus campaign on June 28, targeting approximately 23.5 million children aged six months to under five years. Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain will inaugurate the program at the Shaheed Abu Sayed Convention Centre in Dhaka.
The campaign will run from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, utilizing around 120,000 centers across the country. To reach children on the move, nearly 500 mobile centers will be established at bus terminals, railway stations, and launch ghats, according to Mohammed Eunus Ali, director of the Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN). This initiative marks the resumption of the campaign after a suspension that began in March 2025.
Of the targeted children, 2.83 million aged six to 11 months will receive one type of Vitamin A capsule, while 20.67 million aged 12 months to under five years will receive another. Health experts emphasize the campaign's critical role in enhancing children's immunity and nutritional status, warning that lapses could exacerbate malnutrition and measles severity. Officials noted that funding gaps and repeated tender cancellations for capsule procurement had delayed the campaign, which was previously held twice a year.
Originally published by Daily Star. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.