Professor Dame Sally Davies' advice on the Department of Health's website says, 'Children from the age of six months to five years old should be given a daily dose of vitamin D, as sunlight can be in short supply during the winter.' Pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding are also advised to consider taking the supplement.
The Scottish government meanwhile is to advise women who are planning a pregnancy to take Vitamin D because a lack of sunlight can affect the growth of a foetus.
According to statistics from the National Health Service, the number of children suffering from rickets has increased ten-fold, with 61 children admitted to hospital with the condition in 2009-2010, compared with only six children under 14 years old in 2007-2008.
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