BANGLADESH

The vitamin 'A' plus campaign will be observed on Saturday across Bangladesh.

At least 22 million children aged between 6 months and 5 years will receive life-saving vitamin A doses while over 19 million children between 2 and 5 years of age will receive an additional de-worming tablet.

Briefing journalists at the Secretariat, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque said health workers and volunteers from 140,000 sites –health centres, schools, and bus, lunch and train stations –will distribute those doses.

Bangladesh has been conducting vitamin A campaign since 1974 as vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and increases the risk of diseases like measles and diarrhoea, a major cause of childhood deaths.

According to government estimates, vitamin A doses save the lives of more than 30,000 children annually in Bangladesh, while reducing illness in tens of thousands more.

Because of the campaign, night blindness— also a sign of severe malnutrition among children—has declined significantly from 3.7 percent two decades ago to 0.04 percent at present, a 2009 survey shows.

"Our target is to bring it (night blindness) to zero level," the minister said, adding 'red' colour vitamin A capsule will be given to the children between 1 and 5 years of age while children between 6 and 11 months will receive 'blue' coloured capsule.

During the campaign, he said, volunteers will also spread messages of benefits of exclusive breastfeeding until six months into the birth of a child that can cut 13 percent deaths of children under 5.

As worm infection causes blood loss and retards children's growth, a de-worming tablet has been included in the campaign in 2004.

Bangladesh conducts two vitamin A supplementation campaigns each year, with the next one likely in October.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) received the viscera report of the second autopsy of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi on Tuesday.

"We got the report on Tuesday morning. It will help us in the investigation," RAB spokesperson M Suhayel told bdnews24.com.

He, however, declined comment on what was in the report.

After the second post mortem of Sagar and Runi on Apr 26, Qazi Gholam Mokhlesur Rahman, the doctor who conducted it, said many parts could not be checked properly as the bodies of the journalists, killed on Feb 11, decomposed.

Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar and ATN Bangla Senior Reporter Runi had been killed in their own flat at Rajabazar. Runi's brother filed a case with the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station against some unidentified people.

As police failed to make any progress in the investigation, the High Court questioned their skills and ordered transfer of the case to RAB.

RAB appealed to the court to redo the post mortem.

Police on Tuesday arrested three people in connection with an attack on bdnews24.com journalists on Monday.

All the arrestees -- Jahidul Islam Sourov, 20, 'Hossain', and 'Ilias' -- are residents of the capital's Mohakhali area, DMP's Additional Deputy Commissioner for Media and Community Service Masudur Rahaman told bdnews24.com.

Banani police detained them from different areas in Mohakhali in separate raids since morning, he said.

Officer-in-Charge of Banani Police Station Mamun-ur-Rashid said bdnews24.com's Human Resources Officer Shahidul Islam filed a case against 15-20 unidentified people over the attack.

"We have accepted the case. The investigation is underway," he said.

On Monday night, unidentified assailants stabbed bdnews24.com Sub-Editor Newaz Mohammad Rifaat and Correspondent Salahuddin Wahed Pritom with sharp weapons. Several others, including office staff Ruhul Amin, suffered injuries in the attack apparently by a group of local goons.

They are being treated at the United Hospital at Gulshan.

Journalists across the country have condemned the attack and demonstrated demanding arrest of the attackers.