New Delhi, April 10 -- A report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) has sounded the alarm over a worsening public health crisis in India: Vitamin D deficiency. With one in five Indians affected, the think tank has called for a national campaign, pricing reforms, food fortification and better diagnostics to tackle what it describes as a "silent epidemic".

According to the report titled Roadmap to Address Vitamin D Deficiency in India, the deficiency affects all age groups and professions, from children and outdoor workers to healthcare personnel. Among children aged 0-10, 46 per cent suffered from rickets, while 80-90 per cent of the elderly were at risk of osteoporosis, raising the likelihood o...