Vitamin a deficiency and anaemia in young children living in a malaria endemic district of western Kenya.

Background: Vitamin A deficiency makes children vulnerable to infections and influences the outcome of various infections. In 1993 vitamin A deficiency was found to be a public health problem in Bungoma district of western Kenya.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency, anaemia and malaria parasitaemia and to correlate these with haemoglobin, ferritin and acute phase response.