KIGALI, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan Ministry of Health and its health partners have launched Maternal and Child Health Week aiming to intensify the fight against stunting and conduct other disease-preventive interventions across the country, an official said Wednesday.
Aline Uwimana, in charge of the Maternal and Child Health Division at the Rwanda Biomedical Center, said that health personnel would conduct child growth measurements for children aged six months to five years, screen children for malnutrition, and distribute micronutrient supplements for children from six months to two years to prevent anemia and stunting.
"The week will also focus on amplifying an awareness campaign on proper feeding, immunizing children aged zero to five years who may have missed routine vaccinations, as well as administering Vitamin A and deworming tablets," she told reporters in Kigali, Rwanda's capital city.
Uwimana said that the campaign, carried out biannually, aims to reach about 1.7 million children.
The government aims to reduce child stunting to 19 percent among children below five years of age by the end of 2024 from the current 33 percent. ■