Vitamin A can cut infant death risk in LDCs 15%

A single, oral dose of vitamin A, given to infants shortly after birth in the developing world, can reduce their risk of death 15%, according to a study conducted by researchers at the USA's Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, published in the July edition of Pediatrics.

"It has long been known that vitamin A supplementation can reduce mortality in children over six months of age. Our study showed that vitamin A given at birth can also improve infant survival within the first six months of life," said lead investigator Rolf Klemm. The vitamin A was given orally to the infants within a few days of birth, usually by seven hours after delivery. The mortality rate in the active arm was 38.5 deaths per 1,000 births compared to 45.1 deaths per 1,000 births for the placebo cohort.

The trial enrolled 15,937 newborns from rural communities in northwest Bangladesh, where over 90% of babies are born at home. Half were randomly selected to receive a 50,000 IU dose of vitamin A, while the other half received a placebo. A 200,000 IU dose is recommended semi-annually for older children. While vitamin A reduced infant deaths from all causes, lives were also saved by reducing the severity of infections which are responsible for most deaths in early infancy in South Asia, Dr Klemm noted.