Final answer:
For a 13-month-old child with sickle cell disease, the recommended therapy is folic acid and penicillin V. Folic acid supports red blood cell production and penicillin V prevents severe infections that patients with sickle cell disease are at high risk for.
Step-by-step explanation:
The recommended therapy for a 13-month-old child with sickle cell disease is folic acid and penicillin V. While ferrous sulfate is often used to treat iron deficiency anemia, sickle cell disease is not primarily an iron deficiency condition and routine iron supplementation is not recommended due to a risk of iron overload. Penicillin V is given to prevent infections, which can be more severe in children with sickle cell disease. Folic acid is important because it helps in the production of new red blood cells, which is crucial in patients with sickle cell disease.
Therefore, option 1) Folic acid and penicillin V is the appropriate choice. This combination provides supportive treatment to manage sickle cell disease and prevent infections. Regular folic acid helps with the high turnover of red blood cells, and prophylactic antibiotics like penicillin V are given to children with sickle cell disease to prevent infections like pneumococcal infection, which they are at high risk for.