The National Nutrition Institute under the Ministry of Health yesterday launched nutrition days themed “ People should use food having nutritional supplements necessary for brain growth, health and life quality” in the northern province of Ha Nam.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that supplementing nutrition for kids is necessary to protect them as nutrition plays an important role in kids’ growth. Lacking nutrition will badly affect a kid’s brain and height growth and immunodeficiency.
Realizing the important role of vitamin A, the program to supplement the vitamin for kid is implemented annually; subsequently, over 5 million kids below five year old are given the vitamin. Accordingly, Vietnam eliminated blindness caused by lack of vitamin A amongst kids.
Deputy Health Minister Long stressed that the ceremony is a part of activities in response to the 2016 action month for children which will take place from June 1-30. The deputy Health Minister proposed the health sector in localities to effectively implement vitamin A provision for kids as well as women who just give birth within one month.
In addition, the health sector in cities and provinces must pay attention to the task of preventing malnutrition and increase information of nutrition and nutrition balance in meals to inhabitants.
For years, the nutrition day is held on June 1 and 2 across the country with activities such as vitamin A supplementation for kids from 6 to 36 month old and for kids who are suffering malnourishment, long lasting diarrhea, breathing problem and measles; and new mothers who has just delivered one month and giving drug to worm for kids from 24 - 60 month old.
The National Nutrition Institute warned that to prevent malnutrition, parents should feed their kids with various kinds of food and mothers should breastfeed their babies in six months totally.
