Vitamin A supplementation in infants 1–5 months of age

Vitamin A deficiency affects approximately 190 million preschool-age children, mainly from the regions of Africa and South-East Asia. Infants and children have increased vitamin A requirements to support their rapid growth and help combat infections.

Vitamin A supplementation in infants and children 6-59 months of age has been used for several years as a strategy to improve children`s survival. However, the WHO does not recommend vitamin A supplementation for infants 1-5 months of age as a public health intervention. Mothers should continue to be encouraged to exclusively breastfeed infants for the first 6 months to achieve optimal growth, health and development.