Vitamin A supplementation supports improved child nutrition in Mozambique

It was a hot and dry day in December 2019 when UNICEF took a group of journalists to Sabie health center and community in Moamba district the South West of Mozambique to orientate them on vitamin A supplementation. UNICEF’s programme, which supports the delivering vitamin A capsules to the Mozambican Ministry of Health for nationwide distribution and administration, is generously financed by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

Vitamin A is vital for the growth and development of children. It strengthens their immune system, as well as supporting the healthy development of the eyes. According to UNICEF’s 2019 State of the World’s Children Report, approximately one in five children is deficient in vitamin A. This deficiency can lead to preventable childhood blindness and increase the risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as measles and diarrhoea.  While deaths attributed to vitamin A deficiency have been almost eliminated in most parts of the world, deficiency remains prevalent in South Asia and sub Saharan Africa according to a 2015 Lancet report. 

Regular clinical screenings for children are important to monitor their health and development and to look out for evidence of health problems like vitamin A deficiency. For Betânio Miguel, Director of the Moamba Health Centre, vitamin A deficiency is here in Mozambique, but it is difficult to identify or to measure the problem. According to him, a deficiency can only be measured through blood tests and food consumption data.

Vitamin A supplementation of each child is registered in the child health card and it helps the health workers in monitoring the doses administered each calendar year.  
 

WHO recommends vitamin A supplementation, with a dose of 100,000 IU retinol in infants aged 6–11 months and 200,000 IU retinol at least twice a year in young children aged 12–59 months living in settings where vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem.

According to mother, Joanna Zacarias, who received nutrition counselling during the visit, the APE service is important to her. “I like the service of the APE’s because sometimes it is difficult to reach a health centre. There is also no cost for the service,” she said. When asked about vitamin A deficiency, she went on to say that during the counselling session today, she had learned that the deficiency can lead to problems with a child’s eyes.