Action - Nutrition International - Indonesia - Vitamin A supplementation

Programme: Nutrition International - Indonesia

Programme description

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a public health problem all around the world, affecting more than 100 countries [1]. A lack of vitamin A weakens the immune system, putting a child at greater risk of disease and early death; and it is also the leading cause of preventable child blindness. The solution for correcting vitamin A deficiency lies in improving the child’s diet – through increased consumption of vitamin A-rich foods, naturally rich or commercially fortified foods such as processed oils or sugar.

In countries where this remains a public health problem, and while food-based solutions are gradually being implemented and scaled-up to reach those populations, giving children 6 to 59 months of age two doses of vitamin A per year can impact a child’s health. Specifically, the range of impact on deaths averted can range from a lower bound cause-specific effect size of 28% (diarrheal deaths averted) to an upper bound of 12%-24% all-cause mortality reduction [2].

Nutrition International is committed to supporting vitamin A supplement (VAS) programs for children 6 to 59 months of age in settings where VAD is a public health problem, as one of the most cost-effective ways to improve child survival.

The main aims of NI’s VAS program in Indonesia are to:

  • Provide technical assistance on a national level for the revision of key policy, guidelines and strategy documents through participation in the VAS Technical Working Group.
  • Support Provincial Health Officers (PHOs) and District Health Officers (DHOs) to implement Indonesia’s “replication package” for improved VAS program management across all districts.
  • Provide technical assistance at a national level to revise the National VAS guidelines and support to UNICEF to implement a retrospective VAS coverage analysis.

These activities are being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health at Central level, Provincial Health Offices, District Health Offices and UNICEF. Progress is being achieved on a sub-national scale in six high-mortality provinces (Banten, West Java, West Nusa Tenggara, North Sumatra, Riau and South Sumatra.). NI support to Indonesia’s VAS program began in 1999 and is ongoing.

Programme type

Community/sub-national

References

[1] WHO. (2013). Micronutrient deficiencies. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/vad/en/

[2] Imdad A, Herzer, K, Mayo-Wilson E, Yakoob MY, Bhuta ZA. Vitamin A supplementation for preventing morbidity and mortality in children from 6 months to 5 years of age. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 12.

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Revision log

DateUserLogState
Tue, 10/02/2018 - 16:19engesveenkEdited by GINAadminNI.published
Mon, 10/01/2018 - 21:35GINAadminNIEdited by GINAadminNI.delegated
Wed, 09/26/2018 - 15:23GINAadminNIEdited by GINAadminNI.delegated
Wed, 09/26/2018 - 15:22GINAadminNIEdited by GINAadminNI.delegated
Wed, 09/26/2018 - 15:12engesveenkEdited by engesveenk.delegated
Tue, 09/25/2018 - 16:36engesveenkEdited by engesveenk.delegated
Thu, 09/13/2018 - 20:36vhollaEdited by vholla.needs_review
Thu, 09/13/2018 - 20:30vhollaEdited by vholla.draft
Thu, 09/13/2018 - 16:30vhollaEdited by vholla.draft
Thu, 09/13/2018 - 16:28vhollaAction created by vholla.draft