For the past two months, Kenya has experienced a shortage of vitamin A supplements provided to children aged six to 59 months, putting them at risk of preventable diseases. Mothers have been left uncertain as their children remain vulnerable. The Ministry of Health estimates that 35 percent of children under five have insufficient vitamin A levels.
For two months now, Kenya has been dealing with a shortage of vitamin A supplements for children, leaving mothers uncertain and children exposed to preventable illnesses. On Tuesday morning, Atieno Valentine visited a health center in Nairobi's Eastlands area with her six-month-old daughter, who was due for her routine vitamin A dose and measles vaccine. She received only the measles vaccine, and the nurse informed her that vitamin A had been unavailable for two months.
“The nurse told me, 'Today we'll give the measles vaccine only. The supplement maybe next month.' At that clinic, there were other mothers who missed last month and were hoping to get it this month. But it still wasn't available,” Atieno said.
Vitamin A supplements are provided free twice a year to children aged six to 59 months. Globally, they are recognized as one of the most cost-effective interventions to save children's lives. Vitamin A deficiency ranks among the leading causes of preventable blindness in children and significantly contributes to child mortality in low-income settings.
In Kenya, the Ministry of Health estimates that about 35 percent of children under five have inadequate vitamin A levels. Since 1998, the country has run a national program delivering vitamin A supplements twice yearly, targeting all children from six to 59 months old. However, ongoing challenges in the supply chain have led to frequent disruptions.
Dr. Walter Otieno, a pediatrician from western Kenya, stated that the shortage can be tolerated briefly but poses risks if prolonged. “Vitamin A is not optional. It protects the eyes, strengthens the body's immunity in the lungs and gut, and is crucial for the immune system. Children who don't get it, especially those not breastfed or malnourished, are at high risk of infections,” he said.
