An 8-year-old boy from Malaysia suddenly screams in the middle of class only to find out later that he has lost his vision due to a poor diet. The little boy was rushed to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, where he was diagnosed with optic neuropathy caused by severe Vitamin A deficiency.
According to local reports, the 2nd grader has a very poor diet, which has left him severely malnourished. It was also revealed that he has only consumed processed foods like chicken nuggets, sausages, and cookies since he was a small baby.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), about 250,000โ500,000 children in a year go blind due to Vitamin A deficiency, and half of them die due to the condition.
โVitamin A deficiency results from a dietary intake of vitamin A that is inadequate to satisfy physiological needs. It may be exacerbated by high rates of infection, especially diarrhoea, and measles. It is common in developing countries but rarely seen in developed countries. Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in more than half of all countries, especially those in Africa and South-East Asia. The most severe effects of this deficiency are seen in young children and pregnant women in low-income countries,” explains WHO.
Some of the consequences you may encounter when you have a Vitamin A deficiency, as per WHO are as follows: