The health effects of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and malaria are particularly severe in
young children and women of reproductive age. Approximately half a million children
become blind each year due to VAD, of which two thirds die within months of going
blind. Another 231 million children are more vulnerable to infectious disease because of
inadequate vitamin A intake [WHO, 1995]. Improving intake of vitamin A in areas
where deficiency is common has shown to result in an average of 23 percent reduction of
young child mortality [Beaton et al., 1993]. Malaria deaths are estimated at 1.5 to 2.7
million a year, most of which are among children under five years and pregnant women
[WHO, 1994]. Ninety percent of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
There is widespread recognition of VAD and malaria as two widely distributed public
health problems in the developing world. Each has a tremendous impact on health,
particularly on those living in sub-Saharan Africa, causing high morbidity and mortality.
In SSA, VAD and malaria often co-exist, each exacerbating the health consequences of
the other.