Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness. It also increases the risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea. There are several ways to fight this public health threat: giving children vitamin A supplements; promoting more diverse diets; fortifying food; and bio-fortifying crops. Nutrition campaigns can go with these efforts.
A number of countries are implementing these measures. But there’s a lack of adequately updated data on vitamin A deficiency and analyses of the impact of such measures. Without this information, countries may be unable to make timely, informed decisions and modify existing strategies.
