Background

Measles infection in children has been associated with vitamin A deficiency and blindness. The control of blindness in children is considered a high priority within the World Health Organization’s VISION 2020: The Right to Sight Program. Studies have reported the beneficial effect of vitamin A in reducing morbidity and mortality in children with measles. This review examined vitamin A use in preventing blindness in children infected with measles without features of vitamin A deficiency.

Key findings

- Two doses of vitamin A given on two consecutive days to hospitalised children with measles significantly increased the blood concentration of vitamin A after one week.

- There was no significant difference in weight gain between the vitamin A group and the placebo group six weeks and six months post-administration of three doses of vitamin A.

- None of the included studies reported on blindness or ocular morbidities.