KARACHI, Oct 15: Ten to 20 per cent of children under the age of five years in Pakistan are reported to be suffering from vitamin-A deficiency (VAD), said a Unicef report.

The deficiency, attributed to consumption of the food without or with a low content of vitamin-A, is also stated to contributing to partial or complete blindness besides causing numerous other fatal diseases.

Owing to poverty and low literacy rate in Pakistan, the situation tends to get grimmer as a considerable number of people are yet to realize importance of vitamin-A. Many people do not know that there are many things — papaya, mango, carrot, all other yellow and orange coloured fruits and vegetables, milk-made items and green-leaf vegetables — providing vitamin-A.

According to the report, an early detection of acute VAD by health workers/mothers could help save the children and contain the situation. Initially a suffering child is unable to watch properly in darkness and, in some cases, even in dark rooms during day time.

A mother should immediately take notice of her child tumbling and crashing against things in darkness, the report stressed mentioning that child might be suffering from night blindness.

Such patients are also unable to watch for long in sharp day light and tears start rolling out of their eyes. It said advising prompt consultation with a qualified doctor in such cases.

Those affected by the VAD also complain of irritation in their eyes which often remain red. Small bitot spots, emerging as thick substance, may also develop in the eyes.

Timely medical intervention could help prevent a situation where ulcers develop in the eyes and the patient ultimately loses sight.

While proper supplementation of vitamin-A could help restore the sight, this depends on the gravity of the situation.

As the condition is restricted to night blindness and eruption of bitot spots, there is always possibility of recovery. However, once ulcers are developed, chances of eyesight restoration diminish.

Apart from blindness, a child suffering from VAD is vulnerable to diarrhoea and pneumonia. The VAD-induced pneumonia persists for over two weeks which relapses after a gap of another one or two weeks.

Since under the condition, the patient cannot digest food properly, he is exposed to severe malnutrition again becoming vulnerable to many other diseases.

Measles is one of the diseases severely effecting the vitamin-A level in a child’s body and weakening his immunity against tuberculosis, pneumonia and diarrhoea.—APP