Vitamin A supplementation in children with measles:
The supplementation of Vitamin A in children with measles was documented to have an association with lower mortality rate in both malnourished and overall healthy children diagnosed with the disease. Vitamin A may reduce in morbidity and mortality by about 50% may also prevent eye damage and blindness. The World Health Organization recommends that all children diagnosed with measles throughout the world receive vitamin A supplementation regardless of which country they live. See vitamin A for more information about this nutrient.
Randomized trials (43 trials total) of oral vitamin A supplements in children aged 6 months to 5 years (n=215,633) were analyzed by Mayo-Wilson E, et al to determine the effect of vitamin A on child mortality. All-cause mortality was reduced by 24% in 17 trials. Mortality associated with diarrhea was reduced by 28% in 7 trails. Reductions in occurrences of diarrhea, measles, and vision problems (night blindness and a medical condition in which the eye fails to produce tears) were reported among those taking vitamin A supplements. In 3 trials, risk of vomiting increased during the first 48 hours of supplementation. These findings are especially relevant to low-income and middle-income countries since most of the studies were conducted in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. (22)