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A vicious turn to the saga of vitamin A deficiency in India

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 78, pages 360–361 (2024)Cite this article

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We read the correspondence by Arlappa [1] with disbelief. He has written this in response to a critical letter [2] we had written rebutting his article [3], suggesting that a shift from a universal to a geographical targeted approach for the mega-dose vitamin A supplementation in Indian under 5 year children, would be detrimental. He has made serious ad hominem allegations of data manipulation and misrepresentation in this correspondence, which is a direct attack on our integrity. We vigorously rebut these allegations below and ask for details and proof for substantiation. We could present arguments against his scientific opinions but will refrain from doing so at this point.

In the first allegation, he writes about the “…speculative views of the Expert Committee of Sub-Group on Vitamin A Policy (SGVAP)…” [1], but does so without reference to any published document from the SGVAP that outlines these views. This Expert Committee was set up by the Indian Government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and is not a private think-tank. He should explicitly list and reference the “speculative views” of this Government Committee. Later he goes on to state “the SGVAP …in their communication, manipulated the information available with totally unscientific arguments such as neighbouring states…” [1]. Once again, he should reference the SGVAP communication that he is apparently privy to, showing this alleged ‘manipulation’ on the part of the SGVAP.

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Data availability

This is a rebuttal to a correspondence article. There are no data.

References

  1. Arlappa N. Dismantling five decades of public health policy with spurious interpretation of a single study may relapse nutritional blindness among vulnerable children in India. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2022:1–2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-022-01228-w.

  2. Sachdev HS, Reddy GB, Pullakhandam R, Ghosh S, Rajkumar H, Kurpad AV. Flawed analyses and historical data inflate vitamin A deficiency in India to misdirect policy. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-022-01164-9.

  3. Arlappa N. Vitamin A. supplementation policy: A shift from universal to geographical targeted approach in India considered detrimental to health and nutritional status of under 5 years children. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2022:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-022-01122-5.

  4. CNNS. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) National Report. New Delhi. 2019.

  5. Reddy GB, Pullakhandam R, Ghosh S, Boiroju NK, Tattari S, Laxmaiah A, et al. Vitamin A deficiency among children younger than 5 y in India: an analysis of national data sets to reflect on the need for vitamin A supplementation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;113:939–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa314.

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  6. Ghosh S, Kurpad AV, Sachdev HS, Thomas T. Inflammation correction in micronutrient deficiency with censored inflammatory biomarkers. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;113:47–54. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa285.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, New Delhi, India

    H. S. Sachdev

  2. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad, India

    G. B. Reddy, R. Pullakhandam & H. Rajkumar

  3. St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, India

    S. Ghosh & A. V. Kurpad

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  1. H. S. Sachdev
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  2. G. B. Reddy
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  3. R. Pullakhandam
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  6. A. V. Kurpad
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All authors were equally involved during drafting and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to H. S. Sachdev or A. V. Kurpad.

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Sachdev, H.S., Reddy, G.B., Pullakhandam, R. et al. A vicious turn to the saga of vitamin A deficiency in India. Eur J Clin Nutr 78, 360–361 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-023-01389-2

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