Incidence of Blinding Vitamin A Deficiency in North West Frontier Province and its Adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan

Purpose: To identify children aged 0–72 months with blinding xerophthalmia in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and its adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan, using a new surveillance system, and to describe socio-economic and other characteristics of reported cases. Methods: All ophthalmologists in district headquarter hospitals in NWFP and agency headquarter hospitals in FATA were requested to participate in a surveillance programme for the detection of blinding xerophthalmia (corneal xerosis, corneal ulcers, keratomalacia and corneal scars related to vitamin A deficiency) for children aged 0–72 months. The surveillance included reporting of each case of blinding xerophthalmia presenting to the participating eye units over a period of 12 months and recording their socio-economic and other related characteristics. Results: Seventy six cases of blinding xerophthalmia were reported and there was almost no gender difference. Children came from 19 of 31 districts and agencies...