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Vitamin Angels Vitamin A/ Childhood Blindness Prevention Program addresses Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) around the world. VAD affects between 100 to 140 million children every year, of which 250,000 to 500,000 go blind. The primary cause of VAD is chronic malnutrition and a lack of red, green, yellow and orange, leafy fruits and vegetables. Our Vitamin A/ Childhood Blindness Prevention Program administers two high doses of vitamin A, along with two antiparasitics, per child, per year. The antiparasitic is necessary because parasites love to consume vitamin A. Our cost for the vitamin A, the antiparasitics, logistics, education and administration is .25 cents per child, per year. Over the span of four years and during the time in a child’s life when they are most vulnerable to VAD (age 2 – 5), our cost is $1.

Why delivering vitamin A capsules and deworming tablets together makes sense… for health reasons:

• Parasites will consume the vitamin A before the child can absorb it.
• Worm infections and vitamin A deficiency both have serious health repercussions for a growing child and cause infection and disease.

…And for logistical reasons:

• Worm infections and vitamin A deficiency are public health problems in the same geographical areas.
• Training to administer deworming drugs is straightforward and can easily be integrated into the training for vitamin A distribution.
• Adding deworming to vitamin A distribution does not disrupt the vitamin A distribution program – in fact, it appears to increase the attendance since deworming is extremely popular with children and parents.
• Children who are free of parasites are happy, healthy children, who get sick less often, can grow properly, and pay attention in school.

Why Give Children Vitamin A Supplements?

Vitamin A deficiency also does its worst damage during childhood and is a major contributor to child mortality and illness. The most commonly known effect of vitamin A deficiency is blindness. Less well known is that vitamin A is also essential for functioning of the immune system. Even before blindness occurs, vitamin A-deficient children are at risk of dying from infectious diseases such as measles, diarrhea and malaria. As a result, vitamin A supplementation of vitamin A-deficient populations can reduce child mortality by as much as 23-24%.

Why Treat Children for Worms?

Treating children of any age for worms is one of the simplest and most cost-effective interventions for improving that child’s health.

The evidence demonstrating how worm infections damage a child’s health is unambiguous: worm infections are associated with a significant loss of micronutrients. Roundworms are the most prevalent STH (soil transmitted helminthes) infection in preschool children and cause significant vitamin A malabsorption, which can aggravate malnutrition and anemia rates and contribute to retarded growth. A child’s physical fitness and appetite are negatively affected and his/ her cognitive performance at school is compromised. The constant and life long immune activation due to worm infections reduces the body’s capacity to resist other infections.

Preschool children are extremely vulnerable to the deficiencies induced by worm infections: they are in a period of intense physical and mental development and particularly need the vitamins and micronutrients that are lost through worm infections.

Source: World Health Organization. “How to Add Deworming to Vitamin A Distribution.” 2006.

Three years ago Vitamin Angels began a partnership with Johnson & Johnson in India called the Vitamin A / Childhood Blindness Prevention Campaign. Today this program is reaching 1 million children and nursing mothers every year with vitamin A and antiparasitics and has been a phenomenal success. This program has been recognized by WHO and the Vivekanand Ashram of India has awarded Vitamin Angels the “Global Humanitarian Award” in 2006.

Our partners for this program include Johnson & Johnson, Vivekanand Ashram, Vasai Blind Relief Association, Shri Deepak Shah Sakalpwala Foundation, Child Eye Care Charitable Trust, Janana Prabodhini Medical Trust, Gujarat Blind Relief & Health Association, Drashti Netralaya, Bartimai Centre For the Blind, Shri Satguru Seva Sangh Trust, Madhar Nala Thondu Nruvanam, and Hindu Mission Hospital.