What is the recommended dose of Vitamin A at 9 months of age?

Appeared in: MP CHO-2018

Explanation

The first dose of Vitamin A supplementation is 1 lakh IU (100,000 International Units), which is equivalent to 1 mL of the standard oral solution.
This dose is administered at 9 completed months of age, typically coinciding with the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine.
This initial lower dose is to build up the infant's liver stores of Vitamin A safely.

Option A: This dose is incorrect for a 9-month-old. It is the standard dose for older children.
Option B: This is not a standard prophylactic dose in the national schedule.
Option D: This is not a standard dose used in the national prophylaxis schedule at 9 months.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Vitamin A prophylaxis schedule for infants under the National Immunization Programme helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Administering the correct dose of Vitamin A is crucial for preventing xerophthalmia (a major cause of childhood blindness) and reducing overall child mortality from common illnesses like diarrhea and measles.
Nurses must accurately document the administration of Vitamin A in the child's immunization card and the health register to ensure the child completes the full schedule and to prevent accidental overdosing.
What if? If a child misses the 9-month dose and presents at 11 months, they should still receive the first dose of 1 lakh IU. The schedule then continues with 2 lakh IU doses starting at 16-18 months.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key elements of the question: 'Vitamin A dose' and '9 months of age'.
This is a factual recall question based on the National Immunization Schedule.
Recall the specific schedule for Vitamin A prophylaxis. Note that the first dose is different from subsequent doses.
Remember that the first dose at 9 months is 1 lakh IU, while all following doses are 2 lakh IU.
Compare this fact with the given options and select the one that matches the dose for a 9-month-old infant.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Vitamin A prophylaxis schedule for infants under the National Immunization Programme.
Stem keywords: recommended dose, Vitamin A, 9 months of age
Lead-in keywords: What is
Negative lead-in flag: false

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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

Practise the full MP CHO-2018

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