Can we trust vitamin A capsules?

Like other conscious parents, I have recently taken my 17-month-old daughter to a school in Jatrabari to give her a vitamin A capsule. But, she fell seriously ill around three hours after she was administered the capsule.

On October 6, my daughter was given the capsule around 1:00pm, Then, I took her home. After sleeping for a couple of hours, she started vomiting around 4:00pm. Seeing no sign of improvement, we had to admit her to a city hospital in Dhanmondi. She was, however, released from the hospital after a day's treatment. She still had to suffer from fever and loose motion afterwards.

There is no reason to assume that this is the first such case of reactions of vitamin A capsules. It goes without saying that such immunisation campaigns are essential for children. But what's about the quality of medicine and public trust in case it causes problems to children? We as suffering family urge the authorities concerned to investigate the matter and come up with measures required.

Bijoy Hossain

Jatrabari, Dhaka