Nutricare distributes micronutrient supplement products to poor children in Ho Chi Minh

In June, Nutricare Nutrition Company Limited participated in the program of distributing micronutrient supplement products to poor children in Ho Chi Minh. This is a regular activity of the company, in response to Micronutrient Day media Campaign 2012 initiated by the National Nutrition of Institute.

According to some researches, vitamin A deficiency is a significant public health issue in developing countries. Vitamin A deficiency reduces physical growth, immune response ability, increases risk of bacterial infections and risk of death in children. Children who are lack of vitamin A will be underdeveloped and may suffer from dry eye, unless this condition is detected and treated in time, consequently, they will be permanent blindness.

In Vietnam, the prevention of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency (especially micronutrients such as Vitamin A, Iodine, Iron …) is an action that has been gaining a lot of attention and support of all levels, departments agencies/organizations and the whole society. National nutrition strategy for 2011-2020 was approved on 22/2/2012 by the Government, the strategy has set a target to improve the shortage of micronutrients, with the following specific criteria:

To reduce the rate of under-5 children with low .serum Vitamin A (<0.7µmol/L) to under 10% by 2015 and under 8% by 2020.

To reduce the rate of anemic pregnant women to 28% by 2015 and 23% by 2020.

To reduce the rate of anemic children under 5 to 20% by 2015 and 15% by 2020.

By 2015, to reach a rate of households with sufficient daily consumption of iodized salt for disease prevention (≥ 20 ppm) of over 90%, to maintain the median urinary iodine level in mothers with under-5 children at between 10 and 20 µg/dl by 2015 and to 2020.

                                                                                                                               Source : VDD

Vitamin A supplementation program has been implemented for many years and has gained remarkable results: annually, more than 90% children 6-36 months old receive high dose Vitamin A supplemention 2 times/year; corneal ulceration rate due to lack of vitamin A among children under 5 years old is lower than level of significant public health. In poor provinces, where there is a high rate of malnutrition, besides vitamin A supplementation to children, the program also delivers dewormers 2 times/year, this is one of the effective interventions to reduce the rate of stunt and malnutrition in children.

“Micronutrient Day” is a media campaign that has been deployed throughout the country for years. In this campaign, the leaders focuse not only on organizing the allocation of high dose Vitamin A capsules to children, but also on the communication to bring the knowledge of proper nutrition, prevention of micronutrient deficiency.

In this year, the Ministry of Health issued the official letter no. 1408/BYT-DP, dated 16/03/2012, on  Organizing to take Vitamin A phase I in 2012, in which the Ministry of Health gave guidelines and direction to deploy Micronutrient Day 2012 on a national scale with the following contents:

Widespreadly organize to propagandize to the community, to all families about 10 proper nutrition advices, which emphasizes content preventing Micronutrient deficiency, especially in children and mothers.

Vitamin A supplementation for children aged 06-60 months in 22 provinces with stunting rate of over 30% and children aged 06-36 months in other 41 provinces, the remaining vitamin A is supplemented to a number of high-risk groups such as children under 5 years old suffered from infections and mothers after childbirth within the first 1 month; deworming for children 24-60 months old in 22 provinces with stunting rate of over 30%;

Measure weight of all children under 5 years old of 63 provinces and cities directly under the central government;

Propagandize  to increase knowledge about nutritional anemia prevention for women of reproductive age, particularly newly married women and women who are pregnant with a reasonable diet and taking Iron/Folic Acid tablets or multiple micronutrients under the guidance of Health officials.

National Nutrition of Institute is assigned to work as a focal point coordinating with National Institute of Malariology Parasitology and Entomology, Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang, Tay Nguyen Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health of Ho Chi Minh City to guide and supervise to deploy the above activities, then send the evaluation and performance report to the Ministry of Health prior to 15/7/2012.

It was known that the Ministry of Health had held a ceremony to launch the “Micronutrient Day” media campaign nationwide in Danang on 27/05/2012.
Official letter no. 1408/BYT-DP dated 16/03/2012 issued by the Ministry of Health on Organizing to take Vitamin A phase I in 2012

CV 101-VDD-PEM NGAY26-3-12012.pdf

Official Letter No. 101/VDD-PEM dated March 26^th, 2012 issued by National Nutrition of Institute on the deployment of taking Vitamin A phase 1 and Micronutrient Day 2012

CV 101-VDD-PEM NGAY26-3-12012.pdf

Official Letter No. 120/VDD-PEM dated April 5^th, 2012  issued by National Nutrition of Institute on guiding high-dose vitamin A supplementation and deworming in 22 provinces.

CV 120-VDD-PEM NGAY 05-4-12012 new.pdf