Guideline: vitamin A supplementation in pregnant women

    Publication year: 2011

    Maternal mortality rates remain high, with approximately 1000 women dying from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth worldwide every day. Vitamin A deficiency affects about 19 million pregnant women, mostly from the WHO regions of Africa and South-East Asia. During pregnancy, vitamin A is essential for the health of the mother as well as for the health and development of the fetus. Member States have requested guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the effects and safety of vitamin A supplementation in pregnant women as a public health strategy