According to National Immunization Schedule, First Dose of oral vitamin A recommended for Infant is?

BCCL kharkhanda Staff Nurse - 2015

Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)

Easy

Appeared in: BCCL kharkhanda Staff Nurse - 2015

Explanation

According to India's National Immunization Schedule, the first prophylactic dose of Vitamin A is 1,00,000 International Units (IU).
This dose is administered orally as 1 mL of the oily solution.
It is given to infants at 9 completed months of age, concurrently with the first dose of the Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine.
This initial dose is followed by eight subsequent doses of 2,00,000 IU (2 mL) every six months until the child reaches 5 years of age.

Option A: 1,000 IU is a very small, daily maintenance-level dose, not the high-dose prophylactic amount used in the national program to build up liver stores.
Option B: 2,000 IU is also a daily maintenance dose and is far too low for the high-dose intermittent supplementation strategy of the NIS.
Option C: 10,000 IU is still significantly below the required prophylactic dose. It is insufficient to provide protection for the intended six-month interval.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Vitamin A prophylaxis schedule under India's National Immunization Program to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Administering the correct Vitamin A dose is a critical public health intervention to prevent childhood blindness (xerophthalmia) and reduce child mortality from common illnesses like measles and diarrhea.
Nurses must meticulously document each dose on the immunization card and in the health register to track completion of the full schedule of 9 doses by age 5.
What if? A child with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) aged 10 months comes to the facility. The child should receive a therapeutic dose of 1,00,000 IU of Vitamin A on day 1, regardless of their immunization schedule status, as per SAM management protocols.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question based on a national health program.
Identify the key components of the question: 'First Dose', 'Vitamin A', 'Infant', and 'National Immunization Schedule'.
Recall the specific age and dose for the initial Vitamin A supplementation. The first dose is unique and smaller than subsequent doses.
The schedule starts at 9 months with 1 lakh IU (1,00,000 IU). Subsequent doses are 2 lakh IU.
Compare this recalled fact with the given options to find the correct dosage.
Eliminate the other options as they are sub-therapeutic and not aligned with the high-dose prophylaxis strategy.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Vitamin A prophylaxis schedule under India's National Immunization Program.
Stem keywords: National Immunization Schedule, First Dose, oral vitamin A, Infant
Lead-in keywords: recommended for
Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.

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