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In 2016, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommended that older children and adults who are not pregnant or postnatal should take a daily supplement containing 10 µg a day of vitamin D, at least during winter months. Leaflets are available in English, Polish, Romanian, Somali, Arabic, Urdu, Pashto, Bengali, Punjabi.
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If you would like to become an issuing site for the vitamins, please contact Sarah Bates on 01 or click on the link to download a leaflet giving more information about the vitamin scheme and campaign. To find out the nearest place for you to pick up your FREE vitamins, download this document, and look for your area. Healthy Start Vitamins for Women and Children's Vitamin Drops are available from Health Visiting teams, some Health Centres and Children’s Centres and some pharmacies (look out for the poster in the window). In an effort to prevent cases of rickets, Birmingham has introduced a citywide policy of FREE vitamin supplements for women from the start of pregnancy until their child is 12 months old, and for all children under four. Rickets is treatable and the bones then go back to normal. Other bone deformities can be seen on x-ray. Through lack of vitamin D, their bones are soft and their legs become bowed. The most common problem caused by vitamin D deficiency is rickets, which develops in vitamin D-deficient toddlers as they are starting to learn to walk.
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Vitamin D is important for strong bones, particularly during stages of rapid bone growth such as the early years.
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