Currently only children aged between six months and four years whose parents are on benefits receive the free supplements containing vitamins A, C and D under the scheme.
However, in her annual report, which this year focuses on children’s health, Professor Davies has asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to examine the cost-effectiveness of extending the scheme to all children under five.
The report points to a case study in Birmingham, in which universal access to vitamins has been credited with halving the number of cases of rickets and other health problems linked to a vitamin D deficiency.
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