Maputo, Mozambique — The campaign to administer Vitamin A supplements to all Mozambican children under the age of five years began on Monday across the country.

The central ceremonies of the campaign were held in Chibuto district of the southern province of Gaza.

During the ceremonies chaired by Deputy Health Minister Aida Libombo, sweet potatoes with orange pulp were distributed to the local people.

A Health Ministry press release, received by the the national news agency on Monday said that this measure aims at promoting the consumption of food rich in vitamin A.

This programme was launched by the Health Ministry, in cooperation with the National Agricultural Research Institute and the Agriculture Ministry.

Vitamin A is to be administered to these children every six months, during their normal check ups.

"To reduce child morbidity and mortality, one of the strategies is the fight against deficiency in micro-nutrients and other nutritional diseases", Aida Libombo told a press conference.

Libombo said that the campaign of improved health care to women and children will also include the administration of iodine, in the form of capsules, to children under 14.

Iodine "will only be administered in the (western) Tete province, where nutritional profile studies have shown that there is a significant prevalence of iodine deficiency", said Libombo.

Iodine is essential for the good functioning of the brain and the central nervous system. A shortage of iodine my also cause the disfiguring disease known as goitre.

This is the third programme of the kind in the country, and the last campaign, held in 2000, managed to cover 79 per cent of the targeted children.

This year's campaign is expected to cover at least 90 percent of the target population, and is estimated to cost 500 million meticais (about 28,000 US dollars), mostly granted by UNICEF.