Kathmandu, October 19:

The second phase of this years’ national vitamin A programme kicked off today. Vitamin A capsules were given to children under five years of age. The programme will continue till tomorrow.

Dr Sun Lal Thapa, programme manager at the Integrated Management on Childhood Illness under the Child Health Division (CHD), said around 48,000 female community health volunteers (FCHV) will give Vitamin A and de-worming capsules to children in every ward today and tomorrow. The government aims to provide Vitamin A capsules to all the children aged between six months and five years.

With support from partner agencies, the government launched the programme in eight districts in 1993 after a survey stated that Vitamin A deficiency was a major problem in Nepal.

The programme was introduced with the objective of providing high dose vitamin A capsule supplementation twice a year for all the children aged between six months and five years.