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Good progress but more collaboration needed for vitamin A supplementation
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Vitamin A is indispensable for the health of one's eyes and immune system. Children in developing countries have difficulty accessing sources of vitamin A, which we normally obtain from milk, liver, eggs, fruits and other green vegetables, due to their economic and social circumstances. If children are not able to gain their necessary daily dose of vitamin A, it can lead to various eye diseases, such as night blindness and illnesses, due to a lowered immune system.
Based on recent statistics from the World Health Organization, an estimated 190 million preschool-age children have vitamin A deficiency. It is recommended that those in countries with evidence of this public health problem should receive vitamin A supplementation every 4 to 6 months as an intervention program in an effort to reduce child morbidity and mortality, Dennis S. C. Lam, MD, FRCOphth said in an article published in the latest issue of Ocular Surgery News APAO Edition.