The vitamin-A supplement administered in prevention of nutritional blindness in children program contains?

WCL Staff Nurse - 2019

Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)

Easy

Appeared in: WCL Staff Nurse - 2019

Explanation

The standard prophylactic dose of Vitamin A for children aged 1-5 years under the national program is 200,000 IU, which is equivalent to 2 Lakh IU.
This option numerically matches the standard dose, even though the unit 'IU/ml' is technically incorrect for a dose and refers to concentration.
The commonly supplied Vitamin A oral solution has a concentration of 100,000 IU/ml. Therefore, a 2 ml volume is administered to deliver the required 200,000 IU dose.
This bi-annual massive dosing strategy is effective because Vitamin A is fat-soluble and can be stored in the liver for several months.

Option A: This value is far too low for a prophylactic dose intended to last for six months. It would be ineffective in preventing deficiency.
Option C: 3 Lakh IU is not a standard dose in the national Vitamin A prophylaxis schedule. The doses are standardized at 1 Lakh and 2 Lakh IU.
Option D: 5 Lakh IU is an excessively high dose for a child and would significantly increase the risk of acute Vitamin A toxicity (hypervitaminosis A).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Vitamin A supplementation dosage under the National Programme for Prevention of Nutritional Blindness in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
A community health nurse's core responsibilities include administering vaccines and supplements according to the National Immunization Schedule, which includes Vitamin A.
Accurate dosing is critical. Underdosing fails to protect the child, while overdosing can lead to toxicity (hypervitaminosis A), with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and irritability.
Nurses play a key role in educating mothers about the importance of completing the Vitamin A schedule to prevent blindness and reduce child mortality.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core subject of the question: the amount of Vitamin A given in India's national program for children.
Recall the standard prophylactic doses. The key doses are 1 Lakh IU for infants (at 9 months) and 2 Lakh IU for children (1-5 years, every 6 months).
Analyze the options provided. Notice that the values are given in 'IU/ml' (concentration), but the numbers seem to align with doses.
Recognize the potential ambiguity: the question likely confuses dose with concentration. The value '2 Lakh' corresponds to the standard dose for the main target group (children 1-5 years).
Select the option that numerically matches the most common standard dose (2 Lakh IU), concluding that the unit '/ml' is likely an error in the question's construction.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Vitamin A supplementation dosage under the National Programme for Prevention of Nutritional Blindness in India.
Stem keywords: vitamin-A supplement, prevention, nutritional blindness, children program
Lead-in keywords: contains
Negative lead-in flag: false

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