Mysuru: Delayed supply of Vitamin A supplements has affected children in Mysuru district. Nearly two lakh children below five years have not received the supplement for nine months. Officials attributed the delay to supply chain disruptions. The Vitamin A supplements help prevent night blindness and boost immunity.Vitamin A is first administered at nine months along with measles vaccination, followed by doses at one-and-a-half years, two-and-a-half years, three years, three-and-a-half years, four years and five years. Mysuru district has 2,31,354 children below five years old.Health staff said the backlog has strained routine immunisation sessions and outreach camps. Doctors have advised caregivers to ensure children receive Vitamin A through their diet.As the majority of the children’s parents are from rural areas and disadvantaged groups, they depend heavily on govt hospitals for Vitamin A supplements for their kids, raising concerns about health risks to their children due to the lack of availability of Vitamin A supplement stock in govt hospitals. As most of the parents are agricultural labourers, they are struggling to arrange money for Vitamin A supplements for their kids from private hospitals, activists stated.As a deficiency in the Vitamin A nutrient in kids makes them vulnerable to a range of illnesses, including diarrhoea, measles and respiratory infections, which could also kill them, govt must restore the supply of Vitamin A supplements to kids in govt hospitals, which was stopped for the last nine months in Mysuru district, retired govt doctor Dr Nanjaappa told TOI.Govt has released now: OfficerSpeaking to TOI, district reproductive and children officer Dr Ahammed Sharief said that due to a delay in the supply of Vitamin A supplements to many districts, including Mysuru, since last April, administering Vitamin A supplements to children was delayed in Mysuru district. But now govt has released the Vitamin A supplements, which have reached the district drug storehouse. Soon they will be sent to all PHCs and govt hospitals for administration of this nutrient to all children below five years old, he said.
