article_snippet.sent: Doctors have called for under-fours to be given free vitamins after a rise in the number of cases of rickets due to a lack of exposure to sunlight.
article_snippet.sent: Dame Sally Davies, The country's chief medical officer, who has ordered a cost review into giving all under-fours free vitamin D supplements .
article_snippet.sent: Now, it has been reported that Professor Davies has ordered the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) to review the cost of providing vitamin supplements to all children under the age of four, in a bid to reverse the trend.
article_snippet.sent: He told the Sunday Times: 'Nothing is free but the cost of the ill-effects of deficiency, such as rickets and anaemia from families not providing children with these supplements is greater for the NHS. '
article_snippet.sent: Professor Davies has previously spoken out about the advantages of giving free vitamins to young children.
article_snippet.sent: A scheme has already been set up in deprived areas of Birmingham handing out supplements, which has halved the number of cases of rickets and other deficiency problems.
article_snippet.sent: Professor Davies said: 'We are offering these vitamins to vulnerable children and the take-up is low, but many children not in these communities need many children not in these communities too.'
article_snippet.sent: NHS already recommends all youngsters aged six months to five years take these vitamins, but parents must pay for parents unless parents are part of the NHS’s means-tested Healthy Start scheme.
highlights_snippet.sent: Dame Sally Davies has ordered review into cost of giving out free vitamins .
  