Health Department Urges Parents to Follow Vitamin D Dosage Guidelines for Infants

DH reminds parents to strictly adhere to recommended dosage when giving vitamin D supplements to breastfed infants

The Department of Health (DH) today (March 3) reminds parents and caregivers to strictly adhere to the recommended dosage when giving vitamin D supplements to infants. They should not exceed or adjust the recommended dosage arbitrarily.

A spokesman for the DH said that breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. Breastmilkis safe and clean, and contains antibodies which help prevent many common childhood illnesses. However, similar to all other natural foods, breastmilk may not contain sufficient vitamin D to meet an infant's needs. Another factor is that sun exposure is the most natural way to obtain vitamin D, but infants under 12 months are recommended to be protected from direct sunlight. To prevent vitamin D deficiency in infants, young children and pregnant women, the DH established an expert working group to comprehensively review international guidelines and the local situation.

The expert working group has issued guidelines to healthcare professionals stating that vitamin D supplementation of 400 IU (10μg) per day is recommended for all breastfed infants (including exclusively and partially breastfed infants) from birth to 12 months of age in order to promote bone health. Following the expert working group's recommendations, the DH has provided bottled liquid vitamin D supplements to breastfed infants attending regular check-ups and vaccination services at the DH's Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) since September last year. Public hospitals have also followed the expert working group's guidelines to prescribe vitamin D supplements to newborns in need.

The DH noted overseas cases in which parents did not follow the instructions on the packaging labels and instead adjusted the vitamin D dosage for infants and young children arbitrarily or mistakenly. Although vitamin D is a nutritional supplement, the healthcare professionals, for prudent sake, enquire about each infant's vitamin D supplement intake from parents attending the MCHCs for services. They also provide on-site instruction to parents on the administration method and dosage for infants. A video has also been produced for parental reference, which is available on the DH's website.

Through this ongoing follow-up mechanism, it was noted that the vast majority of parents correctly administer the supplement according to doctors' recommendations. However, a very small number of caregivers may have given slightly higher than recommended doses, including repeated administrations or arbitrary increases of dosages. None of the infants experienced discomfort. However, as a precautionary measure, the DH referred them to hospitals for further examination. Upon examination, none of the infants concerned suffered any adverse health effects.

Occasional or short-term excessive intake of vitamin D rarely causes discomfort or adverse health effects in most individuals. However, the risk of adverse health reactions increases relatively with long-term excessive intake.

The DH issued a letter to private hospitals and doctors today, reminding them to clearly instruct caregivers on the recommended dosage and follow-ups when prescribing vitamin D supplements to infants.

The DH also reminded parents and caregivers that infant formula already contains added vitamin D. Infants who are solely fed with formula milk generally do not need extra vitamin D supplements. Parents and caregivers considering vitamin D supplements for their infants must first consult healthcare professionals and strictly follow the dosage recommended by healthcareprofessionals. Infants taking vitamin D supplements should also avoid other vitamin D-containing nutritional supplements or cod liver oil.

Vitamin D is essential for bone health. It helps calcium absorption in the gut, and maintains normal levels of calcium and phosphate in blood, keeping bones strong.In infants and children, persistently low vitamin D levels may cause rickets, soft bones or bone fractures. It may also lead to poor growth and a low blood calcium levels, which may lead to convulsions.

Source: AI-found images

CE begins visit programme in Beijing

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, arrived in Beijing this morning (March 3) and began his visit programme, calling on the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).

Mr Lee first met with the Administrator of the CAAC, Mr Song Zhiyong, to exchange views on deepening co-operation in civil aviation. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is an international aviation hub, connecting to more than 200 destinations worldwide. Last year, traffic volume reached 61 million passenger trips, while yearly cargo throughput reached 5.07 million tonnes. Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been named the busiest cargo airport in the world 14 times since 2010. With the full commissioning of the Three-Runway System and the new passenger departure facilities at Terminal 2 of HKIA coming into operation this year, new momentum will be injected into Hong Kong's aviation development.

Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to seize new opportunities, continue to reinforce Hong Kong's top global ranking in cargo throughput and its advantages as a transit hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), accelerate the expansion of Hong Kong's aviation network, and develop Hong Kong into the first aircraft parts processing and trading centre in Asia, further enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international aviation hub. He expressed hope that the HKSAR Government and the CAAC would deepen co-operation and promote the complementarity of the airport cluster in the GBA, jointly contributing to the country's goal of building a strong civil aviation sector.

Mr Lee then met with the Chairman of the SASAC, Mr Zhang Yuzhuo, to exchange views on strengthening co-operation. Mr Lee said that the HKSAR Government is actively promoting Hong Kong's development into an international gold trading centre, welcoming state-owned enterprises to participate in gold trading and the construction of related industrial chains in Hong Kong. He encouraged them to capitalise on Hong Kong's strengths as a platform for fundraising and financing, professional services, risk management and a corporate treasury centre to develop and strengthen their international businesses, thereby contributing to the country's high-quality financial development.

Mr Lee said that the Northern Metropolis (NM) serves as a new engine driving Hong Kong's future development, boasting significant development potential and economic value. He thanked the SASAC for its support for the HKSAR Government in driving the full-speed development of the NM, and encouraged state-owned enterprises to participate in large-scale land disposal in the NM and establish a presence in the Hetao Hong Kong Park to develop innovation and technology industries, jointly developing new quality productive forces. He expressed confidence that more state-owned enterprises would tap into opportunities in the NM, making good use of Hong Kong's role under the "one country, two systems" principle in connecting with both the Mainland and the world and leveraging Hong Kong as a springboard to explore overseas markets, achieving complementarity and mutual benefits.

Mr Lee will continue his visit programme in Beijing tomorrow (March 4).