The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Vitamin deficiency hits many children

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Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Vitamin deficiency hits many children

Staff Reporter

In the coastal villages of Pudukottai district

Health camps were conducted in 10 coastal hamlets
A special plan to be in place to tackle the problem

PUDUKOTTAI: A majority of the children in the coastal villages in the district have been hit by Vitamin-A deficiency caused by poor nutritional diet.

The fact came to light at the end of the month-long free health check up camps conducted last month in 10 coastal hamlets exclusively for screening pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and children below the age of five years, sponsored jointly by the Canadian Red Cross Society and the Indian Red Cross Society, and organised by the Pudukottai District Branch of the Red Cross Society.

The Medical Officer of the Primary Health Centre at Singavanam village, who screened the beneficiaries, said that the non-consumption of vegetables and milk by children was the cause for the trouble.

“Not much vegetables reach these coastal villages. Children take either coffee or tea and not milk,” she says.

The district honorary secretary of the society, J. Raja Mohamad, said that the camps were conducted at villages, including Muthukuda, Arasanagaripattinam, R. Pudupattinam, Ammapattinam, Ponnagaram and Prathabiramanpattinam.

Vitamin-A deficiency was the common problem with a majority of children screened at these camps.

The district society, utilising its network of 10 health promoters in each village, would initiate action for creating awareness among the fishermen and fisherwomen about the need for supply of vegetables and milk to the children.

He also said that adequate awareness was also created among the women about the importance of institutional delivery, instead of home-delivery.

The Deputy Director of Health, Aranthangi, I. Ravindran, when contacted, said that the Health Department created awareness among masses about nutrition, including Vitamin-A, for children.

He would study the report on the disease-wise and deficiency-wise results of these camps.

The Health Department would draft a special plan for getting over the problem caused by Vitamin-A deficiency among these children, he added.

As many as 1,130 persons - 140 pregnant women; 250 breast-feeding mothers and 740 children were screened at these camps, according to Mr. Raja Mohamad.

The Society would organise free camps in future for specific ailments such as skin disease to benefit the coastal villagers.

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