Vitamin A supplementation for preventing morbidity and mortality in children from six months to five years of age

Abstract

Vitamin A supplementation for preventing morbidity and mortality in children from six months to five years of age (Review)

Assessing the potential determinants of national vitamin A supplementation among children aged 6–35 months in Ethiopia: further analysis of the 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey

“…Vitamin A is a nutrient that is required in a small amount for normal visual system function, growth and development, epithelia's cellular integrity, immune function, and reproduction [1]. Vitamin A has a significant and clinically important effect since it has been associated with a 12 and 34% reduction in all-cause and diarrhea mortality [2,3]. Globally, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) related vision loss increased from 68.8 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 75.1% in 2017 [4].…”

Small molecules in the treatment of COVID-19

“…Vitamin A has been demonstrated to decrease mortality due to measles and Ebola in clinical studies. 436 , 437 Based on this, vitamin A is considered to hold benefits for COVID-19 patients as therapeutic agent or as adjuvant with vaccines. Although with unspecific antiviral mechanisms and effects, it is encouraging to study its benefit for COVID-19 patients due to its high safety, low cost, and availability in most of the developing countries.…”

Pakistan at the precipice: The looming threat of measles amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Particularly important is the intake of Vitamin A, which decreases mortality rates by 65% ( 10 ). Unfortunately, 190 million children under the age of five reportedly lack Vitamin A supplementation in low and middle-income countries ( 11 ). The effect of the pandemic, however, stretches beyond the community setting as health care has also been impacted ( 8 , 10 ).…”

“…These overwhelmed healthcare systems, with understaffed workers, reduced drug availability, and crowded or poorly equipped hospitals, all contribute to raised mortality rates ( 12 ). Research has shown that mortality for non-COVID-19 patients has risen by 20% compared to before the pandemic ( 11 ). This number could be even higher for countries with impoverished healthcare systems, where measles is common.…”

“…Along with door-to-door vaccination, reducing the cost of the measles vaccine may help encourage immunization outside of state-wide vaccination programs and thus achieve the coverage needed to prevent future outbreaks ( 23 ). Furthermore, raised awareness of the protective effect of vitamin A supplementation can prove immensely useful in reducing the severity of measles infections ( 11 ).…”