Vitamin A Deficiency and Its Prevention

Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem among young children and, to a lesser extent, pregnant and breastfeeding women, in most low-income and many middle-income countries. As well as being an important cause of childhood blindness through xerophthalmia, it is a major underlying cause of mortality and severe morbidity in children. The main means of prevention are provision of high-dose vitamin A supplements, fortification of foods such as flour or sugar during processing, or dietary improvement. Vitamin A supplementation is one of the most cost-effective interventions available to public health. Treatment uses high-dose vitamin A capsules.