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News Release

No. 12/07

18 September 2007

Improving Health and Growth: Vitamin A and Deworming for Poor and
Vulnerable Children in Viet Nam
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HANOI, VIETNAM (18 September 2007) - The Government of Japan and the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help improve the health, growth and
cognitive development of poor children in Viet Nam through a grant of
US$1 million.

The grant, from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, will support
Viet Nam’s already highly effective vitamin A distribution program to
further develop and reach a greater number of children up to five
years of age, and to expand the health benefits of the program by
adding a deworming tablet to the twice-yearly distribution routine.

The project will reach 18 provinces recognized as having high burdens
of malnutrition among poor and vulnerable children between the ages of
6 months and 5 years.

The National Institute of Nutrition of the Ministry of Health will be
the Executing Agency, while implementation will involve a
collaboration of partners including the National Institute of Malaria,
Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE); the World Health Organization,
UNICEF and the University of Melbourne, Australia as a technical
assistance partner of NIMPE.

The Project will assist the Government to expand the distribution of
vitamin A capsules to a broader age group – a practice that has been
increasingly recognized internationally through scientific evidence as
bringing health benefits to those children most vulnerable to
malnutrition. While the current Government program reaches children up
to 36 months of age, this assistance will expand that coverage to 59
months for children in the poorest and most vulnerable areas.

The additional deworming tablet is a simple, safe, and highly
cost-effective innovation that will bring benefits to children in poor
areas who are commonly affected by heavy worm burdens. For less than 2
US cents, or just 320 Vietnamese dong, per dose per child, these
children will have significantly improved growth, health and cognitive
development.

“The most important and exciting thing about this project is that it
builds on a vitamin A distribution system that is already in place and
highly effective and trusted by health workers and communities,” says
Lisa Studdert, Health Specialist in ADB’s Viet Nam Resident Mission.

“For a relatively small additional investment, the benefits of the
Government’s current program can be enhanced, and expanded to millions
of additional children,” she says. “International evidence is now
quite clear that improving the nutritional status and health of
children will provide life-long health and economic benefits for the
individuals and the country.”

The total cost of the project is estimated at $1.2 million – of which
ADB’s grant will cover $1 million –while the Government will support
the balance. ADB’s support for vitamin A and deworming tablet
procurement, along with other implementation costs will extend over
three years. At the same time, the Government’s share of the capsule
and tablet procurement costs will gradually increase and reach 100
percent by the time of Project closing, ensuring sustainability and
extended benefits.

The JFPR was set up in 2000 with an initial contribution of Y10
billion (about $90 million). The Fund now stands at $360 million.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and
Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social
development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by
67 members – 48 from the region. In 2006, it approved loans and grants
for projects totaling $8.5 billion, and technical assistance amounting
to almost $242 million.

Contacts

Media Inquiries
VRM ADB NR 12/07

Ayumi Konishi
Tel: +84-4 933 1374 to 76
Email: akonishi@adb.org

Electronic versions of ADB news releases

ADB Online Media Center: www.adb.org/news
Internet site: http://www.adb.org

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