Leaflets are available in English, Polish, Romanian, Somali, Arabic, Urdu, Pashto, Bengali, Punjabi.

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. Age and skin pigmentation also make the process of vitamin D formation less effective.Modern working patterns, use of sun screen, and changes to children’s playing habits, as well as cultural dress which covers most of the skin, all mean that Birmingham residents are not likely to be producing enough vitamin D.The UVB rays needed to produce vitamin D are only available in Birmingham and areas further north between the months of April and October, and in the middle of the day (11am to 3pm).It is not easy to get enough vitamin D from food sources, and we get most of our requirement from the action of sunlight on the skin. Vitamin D is important for strong bones, particularly during stages of rapid bone growth such as the early years.

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