Vitamin A toll 16, Unicef report soon [Botched UN Program]

New India Press ^ | November 19, 2001

[B.Bumbleberry]

GUWAHATI: With three more children reported dead in Kokrajhar district of Assam, the number of deaths from suspected Vitamin A overdose has risen to 16, indicating there was something seriously wrong with the campaign aimed at reducing night blindness in children.

Though the Assam government has stuck to its original stand that the deaths were not related to Vitamin A given to over 28 lakh children in the age group of 0-5 on November 11, official sources said the deaths were related to the dose.

Two Unicef teams that toured the worst-affected districts of Nagaon, Sonitpur, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, have gone back to Kolkata and are expected to submit reports to the Unicef country office in New Delhi. The district-wise break-up of the deaths is: Cachar (one), Karimganj (two), Hailakandi (two), Nagaon (six), Kokrajhar (three), Nalbari (one) and Goalpara (one).

A senior official in the state health department said that though the 16 deaths were reported from the districts, the government was waiting for the Unicef teams' reports that was expected to be sent to Guwahati by Monday.

``Though the deaths have been attributed to Vitamin A, the government still believes otherwise. There could, however, have been overdoses in some booths,'' the official said.

Unicef state representative for Assam Carrie Auer too had said last week that there have been no instances of deaths in any country from Vitamin A. ``We have been administering Vitamin A to children in the 0-5 agegroup in various countries for over a decade, and there has been no incident of death,'' she said. Several leading child specialists in Guwahati too have said that Vitamin A, even in overdose, is not known to have caused death.

Meanwhile, the Vitamin A programme of Unicef conducted by the state health department has come under cloud with reports that the level of monitoring was poor in several districts.

[WriteOn]

Gives a new meaning to trick or treat for UNICEF, doesn't it. I loathe the UN.

[ChemistCat]

Interesting. It wouldn't surprise me that the fatalities were due to multiple doses. Either the medical types made some kind of clerical error, or mothers brought in children for a second dose out of some mistaken idea that if one dose could prevent blindness, two might improve poor vision?

Here's a link about vitamin A toxicity.
Click here

I'd be rather surprised if there was fundamentally something wrong with the way this fairly simple, cheap, and effective medical program is administered. Some things even the UN can't screw up easily.

[aruanan]

Yeah, there have been deaths from vitamin A and D overdoses. Both of these chemicals, in larger than minute amounts have drug rather than vitamin activity. Fat soluble vitamins are easily absorbed, easily retained. There was an Arctic expedition that suffered some deaths from vitamin A overdose from eating the livers of Arctic mammals. One way of avoiding vitamin A overdose is to give only beta carotene. The body will convert beta carotene to vitamin A only to the extent that vitamin A is needed--you may get orange skin, but you won't get a vitamin A overdose.

On the other hand, in many places of the world where the children have a diet poor in vegetables and meats, there is the greatly increased risk of death due to infections. In many places the weaning diet is extremely poor in micronutrients, being essentially gruel. Lack of vitamin A results in impaired proliferation of the intestinal epithelium, a loss of goblet cells with a consequent loss of mucus and an heightened susceptibility to infection. Vitamin A has been called the anti-infection vitamin. Children with low levels of vitamin A are not only more susceptible to disease but also much more likely to have severe bouts with deadly complications.

[B.Bumbleberry]

You're right. This has been a successful program throughout many parts of the world. Wonder what the problem was here?

[Askel5]

"The Pill" and "Mean Machine" from This is Madness by The Last Poets

...
They say "We'll stunt Africa's growth.
And Asia has too many folks.
Too large is the mouth
in the Latin South
We'll aid 'em by cuttin' their throats."
...
"No, we must approach as a friend
and do our job from within.
Let's feed 'em the pill
that's made up to kill
and make their beginning their end."

So poor folks of the world, be aware.
For their evil design is laid bare.
Watch out for the hag
with the little black bag
Marked "Birth Control: Peace Corps and CARE"

It's part of a game that they play.
And it's designed to make poor people pay.
It's part of a lie
to help you to die
while they cart your resources away.

...
Margaret Sanger is No Hero to Black America

An Excellent Analysis of NSSM-200 at the Africa2000 site

From "Abortion is Vital to the Solution" of population control at home and abroad ... a Key Point from Kissinger's NSSM-200

[Atchafalaya]

Yeah, vitamin A is tricky, not enough and you have the sequelae, too much and you get toxicity. Fish liver espicially the top predators such as sharks are the worst for causing this malady.

[RippleFire]

UN_List: for United Nations articles. Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register