On May 12, 2009 at the Micronutrient Forum in Beijing, a new report was released clarifying the importance of micronutrient supplementation in fighting global childhood malnutrition and calling on all governments and organizations to increase investments in life-saving vitamins and minerals.

The joint report, “Investing in the Future: A united call to action on vitamin and mineral deficiencies,” recognizes the debilitating effects of micronutrient deficiencies on individuals and nations as a whole. Mothers who suffer from malnutrition may die from childbirth, leaving children without vital care. Children themselves have insufficient micronutrient intake and, if they survive infancy, are weak and prone to disease. Some will become blind, many will not finish school. These children, the future of nations, suffer from malnutrition and cannot fulfill their potential. Education is out of reach, health care costs are high, work does not get done and economic activity suffers with the population. “Human capital overall is significantly diminished.”

The numbers released are staggering.

• 1.1 million children under five die due to vitamin A and zinc deficiencies.
• Vitamin A deficiency annually claims the lives of almost 670,000 children.
• 136,000 women and children die because of iron-deficiency anemia.
• At least two billion people worldwide live with vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
• Approximately 1/3 of the developing world’s children under the age of five are vitamin A deficient and therefore ill-equipped for survival.
• 20-24% of deaths from measles, diarrhea, and malaria are attributable to inadequate vitamin A or zinc.

The report points to multiple and interconnected causes of micronutrient deficiencies. Poor diet due to lack of resources keep people from consuming nutrient-rich foods. Lack of healthcare, education, sanitation, and disease are contributing and interwoven factors. Providing the food and education to resolve the problem of micronutrient deficiency is a long-term undertaking, but in the short-term lives can be saved and improved through cost-effective interventions like supplementation. As shown below, the small cost of vitamin A supplementation is dwarfed by the benefits, including a decrease in needs for health care and an increase in productivity.