The suggested dose of vitamin-A given at 9 months of age is–

Appeared in: RML PRE 2025

Explanation

The national prophylaxis program for preventing Vitamin A deficiency recommends a specific dosing schedule based on age.
For infants at 9 months of age, the first dose of Vitamin A is administered.
The correct quantity for this first dose is 100,000 International Units (IU), which is equivalent to 1 lakh IU or 1 mL of the oral solution.
This dose is strategically timed to be given along with the first dose of the measles vaccine, as measles can severely deplete the body's Vitamin A stores.

Option A: This dose is double the recommended amount for a 9-month-old infant.
Option B: This is not a standard recommended dose for Vitamin A prophylaxis at any age in the routine schedule.
Option D: This dose is half the recommended amount for a 9-month-old infant under the routine schedule.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Vitamin A Prophylaxis Schedule helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Administering the correct dose of Vitamin A is a critical nursing responsibility to prevent both deficiency and toxicity. The margin between a therapeutic and toxic dose can be narrow in infants.
Nurses play a key role in educating caregivers about the importance of completing the full Vitamin A schedule to protect their child's vision and overall health.
The first dose is co-administered with the measles vaccine because measles infection significantly increases the risk of Vitamin A deficiency-related complications, including blindness and death.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question based on a standard public health program.
First, identify the key components of the question: the substance (Vitamin A) and the specific age (9 months).
Recall the National Immunization Schedule and its associated prophylaxis programs, specifically the Vitamin A supplementation schedule.
Remember that the first dose is given at 9 months and is different from subsequent doses.
Select the option that matches the dose for the 9-month mark (1 lakh IU).
Differentiate this from the dose for older children (2 lakh IU) and younger infants (50,000 IU) to confirm the correct answer and eliminate distractors.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Q5T47TVMGhtE9BEBOthaup

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) p. 143-145

E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 2 p. 515-517

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 152-154

Practise the full RML PRE 2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.