The 2016 Kenya Micronutrient Survey (KNMS) indicates that the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency currently stands at 9.2 per cent for children aged under five.
This is a sharp decline from 84.4 per cent prevalence recorded during the last micronutrient national survey in 1999.
The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among the children under the age of five years has dropped significantly, showing gains made by various interventions put in place over the last two decades.
The 2016 Kenya Micronutrient Survey (KNMS) indicates that the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency currently stands at 9.2 per cent for children aged under five.
This is a sharp decline from 84.4 per cent prevalence recorded during the last micronutrient national survey in 1999.
“The Vitamin A supplementation carried out for free by the government twice every year and food fortification is the reason behind the decline in the deficiency levels,” said head of nutrition and dietetics, Gladys Mugambi.
The interventions put in place the survey done in 2011 shows had ensured that 84.3 per cent of all children under the age of five had received Vitamin A supplementation while 53.1 per cent had received it six months to the study.
“Vitamin A deficiency is not a problem of severe public health significance in pre-school aged children…it is possible to therefore to attribute the gains made so far to the various intervention efforts by ministry of health including blanket vitamin A supplementation for pre-schoolers, food fortification and dietary diversification,” the report said.
Vitamin A is essential for “proper immune function, epithelial growth and repair, bone growth, reproduction and normal bone growth and foetal development.”
According to Unicef it prevents childhood blindnesss and risk of death occurring from common childhood illnesses.
Foods said to be rich in vitamin A include vegetables, beef, liver, eggs and a variety of sea food.
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