Children under 5 years old can take vitamin A for the first time from day 1 to 6

US-aided source of vitamin A

The Ministry of Health has just issued a notice of the first nationwide campaign of vitamin A supplementation in 2023 for children from 6 months to 4 years and 11 months˳

The campaign will be held nationwide, in which in 22 difficult mountainous provinces, each child from 6 months to 4 years and 11 months will receive 1 dose of vitamin A, children from 2 years old to 4 years and 11 months will receive regular deworming˳ ˳

In the remaining 41 provinces and cities, children from 6 months to 2 years and 11 months are given 1 dose of vitamin A˳

The source of pharmaceuticals used in the campaign is supported by the Vitamin Angel Foundation – USA˳

On May 27, the Ministry of Health issued Official Letter No˳ 3232/BYT-BMTE sent to localities to organize a campaign to guide provinces and cities to organize a campaign for children to take vitamin A capsules to end their pregnancy˳ in accordance with the periodical deworming phase 1 in 2023˳

The Ministry of Health said that vitamin A plays an important role in the health and comprehensive development of children˳ Every year, the ministry organizes a campaign to supplement high-dose vitamin A for more than 6 million children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years and 6 months on a national scale (there are 2 times a year: the first in June; and the second in June; and 2 in December)˳

In these campaigns, children of this age were given high-dose vitamin A capsules˳ In recent years, vitamin A supplementation campaigns helped Vietnam to eradicate blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency in 2000, which is a huge achievement˳

To prevent micronutrient deficiency, besides the short-term solution is taking supplements of micronutrient products (such as high-dose vitamin A capsules, multi-micronutrient tablets…), using foods fortified with micronutrients nutrition, the long-term and fundamental solution is to improve meal quality˳

City˳ Ho Chi Minh used to lack supply of vitamin A

Previously, on April 27, the Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health) received Official Letter No˳ 3133/SYT-NVD from the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City on the lack of supply of single-component vitamin A drugs (refer to short for vitamin A) for health plan use˳

From 2023, localities must actively develop vitamin A procurement plans from local funds or from national target programs that have been allocated to localities˳

However, at this time, there are only 3 vitamin A drugs (content of 5,000 IU) with valid circulation registration certificates in Vietnam˳ The Drug Administration of Vietnam recommends that drug manufacturers and drug importers strengthen research, production, sourcing and import of vitamin A drugs in general and high-dose vitamin A (contents of 100,000 IU and 200,000 IU) to fund the health plan˳

Ho Chi Minh City received vitamin A, started giving it to children from December 19 to 30

TTO – On the evening of December 9, the Center for Disease Control of Ho Chi Minh City announced that the unit had received a source of vitamin A medicine after more than a week without the drug, so it had to be postponed for children˳ The mass vitamin A supplement campaign in Ho Chi Minh City will take place from December 19 to 30˳