The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Gaibandha

The experts at a conference here on Tuesday said as many as 20,000 Bangladeshi infants' lives could be saved each year if all new born babies were fed oral dose of vitamin A shortly after birth.

According to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University and published in July, 2008 in pediatrics, official Journal of the American Academy of pediatrics, giving a single dose of vitamin A to Bangladeshi newborns can reduce infant deaths by 15 percent.

They disclosed in a press conference on 'New Born Vitamin A supplementation Reduces infant Mortality is Rural Bangladesh' organized by Jivita, a Maternal and child Health and Nutrition Research Project, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at its office of the town here on Tuesday. The study findings were presented by Dr Rolf Klemm, scientist, John Hopkins University and Dr Mahbubur Rashid, senior medical epidemiologist of Jivita.

It was also revealed that John Hopkins University and the Jivita project, research component of the UBHPP (USAID-Bangladesh Health and population programmes) conducted the study among 16,000 newborns in Gaibandha and Rangpur districts from 2004 to 2007.

At the time of study which was approved by Bangladesh Medical Research council, 80 percent of the newborns were fed vitamin A oral dose within 7 hours after birth, UBHPP sources said. The mortality rate in first six months among babies who were administered vitamin A at birth was 15 percent lower than the babies who were given oil supplement in a control group, UBHPP also said.

According to Keith P West, professor of infant and child Nutrition, Department of international health, Johns Hopkins University, USA, the study findings confirm those of two other studies in Indonesia and India making newborn vitamin A delivery a promising new intervention to reduce infant mortality across South Asia where the overall average reduction may be closer to twenty percent.

A dose of vitamin A costs less than Taka 2 but the major challenge is to find the best ways to administer the vitamin within the first two days of life to four million.

Over 90 percent of baby are born at home, experts also said in the press conference.

Senior nutritionist Abu Ahmed Shamim, field administrator M. Abdul Jabbar and the officials of the project were also present on the occasion. More than 30 journalists of print and electronic media working in the district attended the press conference.