UNICEF supports National Nutrition Promotion Week in MyanmarMillions of children being protected against illness and blindness through vitamin A distribution Yangon, 03 September 2004 – This week UNICEF sponsored the launch of National Nutrition Promotion Week in Myanmar, working with health and nutrition professionals throughout the country to provide essential nutrients to children as well as women of childbearing age – nutrients that can enhance children’s health and save lives. During Nutrition Promotion Week and the entire month of September, millions of children across Myanmar are being provided with doses of vitamin A to protect them against illness and blindness with funding provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Vitamin and mineral deficiency is the world’s leading cause of mental impairment and leads to the deaths of approximately one million children a year worldwide. Vitamin and mineral deficiency is also responsible for the deaths of 60,000 women a year in childbirth, and causes 250,000 serious birth defects globally. “In recent years UNICEF and its health and nutrition counterparts have been making real progress in saving children’s lives and enhancing their health by providing pregnant women with iron supplements and vast numbers of children with vitamin A,” noted UNICEF in Myanmar Representative Carroll Long. “UNICEF in Myanmar also works to enhance children’s development by supporting the iodization of table salt, promoting the exclusive breastfeeding of infants and encouraging dietary changes that can increase families’ vitamin and mineral intake.” Despite significant strides being made, many children in Myanmar are still not receiving all the nourishment they need. Approximately one in three children in Myanmar are underweight due to nutritional deficiencies. Many children lack sufficient levels of iodine in their diets, making them more vulnerable to mental impairment, and many mothers experience iron deficiency anemia, placing their children at risk of birth defects. Some children in Myanmar also lack sufficient levels of iron in their diet, which can disrupt their brain development and stunt their growth. Others lack adequate levels of vitamin A, which can lower their immunity and make them more vulnerable to blindness. UNICEF, the largest international supporter of nutrition activities in Myanmar, is working in close cooperation with health and nutrition professionals during National Nutrition Promotion Week and throughout the year to address these children’s needs, ensure their healthy development and save lives.
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