A Call for Action from Helen Keller International

Vitamin A Deficiency Is a Major Challenge Facing Africa

New York, January 5, 2006 – In a recent analysis, Helen Keller International (HKI) determines that nearly half of all children in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of vitamin A deficiency (VAD).  In an article of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin, Victor Aguayo, UNICEF Regional Nutrition Advisor for West and Central Africa and former HKI Regional Nutrition Advisor, and Shawn Baker, HKI Regional Director for Africa, published their findings from 11 nationally representative VAD surveys conducted in sub-Saharan Africa.  The authors have identified VAD as a major challenge facing Africa in the coming years and issued a call to action to meet this urgent need.  Produced by HKI, the article was funded by the United States Agency for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency, and the Micronutrient Initiative (MI).

Prior estimates of VAD worldwide were developed by MI in collaboration with Tulane University and UNICEF from surveys completed between 1987 and 1995.  These estimates were critical in advancing policies and programs for VAD control, but concerns arose that they may have underestimated the problem and underplayed VAD’s critical role in child mortality.  In the recent analysis conducted by Aguayo and Baker, they sought to determine accurate numbers of children currently at risk for VAD in order to see how effective policies and programs could be in controlling it.  Aguayo and Baker calculated predicted levels of VAD by combining the MI/Tulane University/UNICEF estimates and the present population of children under five years of age.  They then compared those levels to data from surveys conducted between 1997 and 2003, finding that, in fact, there had been a more than twofold underestimation of the actual VAD problem in sub-Saharan Africa.  Finally, Aguayo and Baker applied the corrected estimates to the measured effects of VAD on child mortality to show the impact that VAD has on child mortality levels.

The authors discovered that a startling 42.4% of children under the age of five – or 43.2 million children – in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of this life-threatening deficiency in the absence of sustained policies and programs.  Moreover, they concluded that efforts for VAD control, including large-scale vitamin A supplementation, could bring about a 25% reduction in child mortality.

Aguayo and Baker assert that VAD control has the potential to be one of the most cost-effective and high-impact child survival interventions in sub-Saharan Africa.  Calling for a stronger political commitment and a more appropriate level of investment in VAD control, the authors write, “The need is urgent, and the solutions are known, effective and affordable.”  Aguayo and Baker recommend periodic, active distribution of vitamin A supplements through national governments and other existing permanent institutions, and improved vitamin A dietary intake cycle through better breastfeeding practices and fortifying foods with vitamin A.

To read the complete article in Food and Nutrition Bulletin >> click here.