Under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Nutritional Blindness, a child receives the first dose of vitamin A at 9 months of age along with measles vaccine, followed by doses every six months thereafter. What is the total number of doses the child should receive up to 5 years of age?
- A 5 doses
- B 7 doses
- C 9 doses ✓
- D 12 doses
Correct answer: C. 9 doses
Explanation
The schedule comprises one dose at 9 months plus eight further biannual doses from 18 months up to 5 years, giving nine doses in total. Each dose after the first contains 2 lakh IU of vitamin A, while the 9-month dose contains 1 lakh IU. Five doses would cover only two and a half years of biannual supplementation, so it understates the full schedule that runs to the fifth birthday.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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