Vitamin A & Deworming Campaign in Nepal: Dates, Ages & What Your Child Gets

The National Vitamin A Programme (NVAP) is a free, government-run public health campaign that gives young children a high-dose Vitamin A capsule twice a year, together with an Albendazole deworming tablet for children over one year of age. It is run by the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services (DoHS), Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), with technical support historically provided by the Nepal Technical Assistance Group (NTAG) and partners such as UNICEF and USAID.

Vitamin A is essential for healthy eyes, a strong immune system and normal growth. When a young child does not get enough Vitamin A, they are more likely to suffer severe measles, diarrhoea and pneumonia, and in serious cases can develop night blindness (rataundho) and permanent blindness. Two capsules a year keep a child's Vitamin A stores topped up during the months when infections and deficiency historically peaked.

The programme is widely regarded as one of Nepal's biggest public health success stories. It began in 1993 in eight districts and expanded in phases to reach all districts by 2002. Coverage has stayed consistently high, typically in the 85-95% range of eligible children, which is among the highest of any health campaign in the country.

The campaign runs in two rounds each year, always in the first week of the Nepali months of Baisakh and Kartik. In the Gregorian (AD) calendar this falls in April (the Baisakh round) and in October or November (the Kartik round). Distribution usually takes place over one to two designated days in each ward, though FCHVs continue mop-up visits afterwards to reach children who were missed.

The timing is deliberate. The Baisakh round in spring was originally scheduled just before the season when measles and xerophthalmia (Vitamin A deficiency eye disease) tended to peak, while the Kartik round in autumn follows the harvest season. Spacing the two rounds roughly six months apart matches how long a single high dose of Vitamin A protects a child.

Exact calendar dates shift slightly from year to year and are announced by the MoHP and local governments ahead of each round, so the safest way to confirm the precise days is to watch for the local announcement or ask your ward office, health post or FCHV. As a rule of thumb, if it is the first week of Baisakh or the first week of Kartik, the campaign is on or about to begin.

Two age windows matter. Every child aged 6 to 59 months (6 months up to their fifth birthday) is eligible for the Vitamin A capsule. Deworming with Albendazole is given to the older group, children aged 12 to 59 months (1 year up to their fifth birthday). This means a child between 6 and 11 months receives only the Vitamin A capsule, while a child aged 1 to under 5 receives both the capsule and the deworming tablet.

The Vitamin A capsule comes in two strengths matched to age. Children aged 6-11 months receive a blue capsule containing 100,000 International Units (IU). Children aged 12-59 months receive a red capsule containing 200,000 IU. The volunteer snips the capsule and squeezes the liquid directly into the child's mouth, so a child does not have to swallow anything whole.

The deworming tablet is Albendazole 400 mg, a single chewable dose that clears intestinal worms such as roundworm, hookworm and whipworm. Reducing worm burden helps prevent childhood anaemia and supports better nutrition and growth. Both the capsule and the tablet are given together during the same visit for eligible children over one year old.

You do not need to travel far or pay anything. During the campaign, Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) set up distribution at fixed points in every ward, commonly at the local health post, sub-health post, urban health centre, immunisation clinic, schools, or a community meeting point. In many communities FCHVs also go house to house to make sure no eligible child is left out.

Nepal mobilises a very large frontline for each round, on the order of 50,000-54,000 FCHVs supported by around 15,000 health workers. This community-based system is the reason coverage stays so high year after year, even in remote hill and mountain wards. No registration, appointment or referral is required; just bring your child on the announced day.

If you are unsure where or when to go, ask your ward office, the nearest health post, or your area's FCHV. It is helpful to know your child's exact age in months, because that determines whether they receive the blue or red capsule and whether they also get the deworming tablet.

The health payoff of the programme is large and well documented. Regular Vitamin A supplementation is estimated to reduce under-five mortality by around 23% in deficient populations, mainly by making children more resistant to the infections that kill young children. Reviews of Nepal's programme estimate it saved on the order of tens of thousands of child lives between full national rollout in 2002 and the late 2010s.

The programme has also dramatically reduced childhood night blindness (rataundho), which was once a visible problem in many communities and is now rare. Adding Albendazole deworming brings a further benefit: fewer intestinal worms means less blood loss and better iron status, which helps reduce anaemia and supports healthy growth in children under five.

Because the benefit comes from keeping Vitamin A stores topped up, both rounds matter. Skipping a round leaves a gap in protection. Getting your child to both the Baisakh and Kartik rounds every year until their fifth birthday is the simplest way to secure the full benefit.

The doses used in the campaign are internationally standard and have a strong safety record when given at the correct age-based amount. A small number of very young children may briefly show mild, temporary effects such as a bulging soft spot (fontanelle), mild headache, nausea or loss of appetite, which typically settle on their own within a day or two. Serious reactions are rare.

To keep it safe, a capsule should only be given to a child in the correct age window and only once per round; do not try to give extra doses at home. Albendazole is given from 12 months of age. If your child is unwell on campaign day, has a known allergy, or you are unsure about eligibility, speak to the FCHV or a health worker at the distribution point before the dose is given.

Vitamin A capsules from the campaign are not a substitute for a healthy diet. Encourage Vitamin A-rich foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables (like pumpkin, carrot and mango), eggs, liver and dairy, alongside the twice-yearly capsule.