Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies in Afghanistan.

The document outlines Afghanistan’s strategy to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies, defining key micronutrients such as iron, folic acid, vitamin A, zinc, iodine, and vitamin C, and highlighting their national health burden. It emphasizes the urgency of eliminating deficiencies, noting their impact on development, and calls for multi-sectoral partnerships involving public and private sectors, including the food industry, to strengthen coverage and human capacity in nutrition. The proposed national strategy focuses on three pillars: enhancing preventive and therapeutic interventions through the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS), fostering public-private partnerships, and building national nutrition capacity. Cross-cutting elements include monitoring, surveillance, advocacy, community mobilization, and communication strategies, with coordination among national, provincial, and district levels.