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Discontinuing five decades of vitamin A supplementation policy in India without valid scientific evidence: A step in Haste

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 78, pages 362–363 (2024)Cite this article

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I read the correspondence by Sachdev et al. [1]. The contents were rather harsh, and they continued to present incorrect arguments to justify their decision to discontinue the universal VAS programme in India. The authors have deliberately avoided direct evidence-based responses to the queries raised in my previous correspondence [2]. Before responding to each of their new queries, I wish to state for the readers of the journal that the “Vitamin A Supplementation Programme for Prophylaxis Against Nutritional Blindness among Children in India” is very much alive even though the strong advocacy by the expert committee of the sub-group on vitamin A policy (SGVAP) to convince the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, to the discontinue the same.

The authors have repeatedly raised the query regarding the source for the constitution of the expert committee of the SGVAP and its minutes. The minutes of the expert committee of SGVAP were released without any directive or approval of the MoHFW Government to the public health groups through email and WhatsApp mode by one of the Expert Committee members.

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Data availability

Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) National Report 2016-8. https://nhm.gov.in/WriteReadData/l892s/1405796031571201348.pdf.

References

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  1. Scientist-G, Division of Public Health Nutrition, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India

    Nimmathota Arlappa

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Arlappa, N. Discontinuing five decades of vitamin A supplementation policy in India without valid scientific evidence: A step in Haste. Eur J Clin Nutr 78, 362–363 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-023-01374-9

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