Nepal to distribute vitamin A, de-worming tablets

The nationwide distribution of Vitamin A capsules and de-worming tablets will begin from Wednesday in Nepal, representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said here Tuesday.

"A total of 3.3 million Vitamin A capsules will be distributed to all children aged from six months to five years and the 3.1 million de-worming tablets for the children aged from one to five years of Nepal," Suomi Sakai, representative of UNICEF, said in a press statement.

"This distribution, which saves some 12,000 lives a year, is the largest exercise in child survival in Nepal," Sakai revealed.

The supplies are waiting in each Ward Office, local government office, of the village and the total of 48,000 female community health volunteers are briefed and ready to distribute them to the children on Wednesday and Thursday.

Nearly half of the children in Nepal are malnourished and many do not have a sufficient store of Vitamin A in their bodies to boost their immune system to ward off disease and help prevent blindness, Sakai said.

"Children who don't receive the Vitamin A capsules have a four-times-higher risk of dying than those who do receive it," Sakai noted.

"For the sake of these youngest and most vulnerable children, we ask all adults to help make sure their families can get them to the distribution point in their ward office and back safely and without fear," the Sakai added.

Vitamin A capsules and de-warming tablets have been distributed, two times annually in each six months, since 1993 in Nepal.

Source: Xinhua