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News/Event Item
Eliminating Iodine Deficiency Worldwide is Within Reach
21 December 2004
World Health Organization News Release
The number of countries where iodine deficiency is a public health problem has halved over the past decade, says the World Health Organization (WHO) in a new global report on iodine status. Iodine deficiency is a significant cause of mental developmental problems in children. The main strategy - universal salt iodization - has been successful. However, 54 countries are still iodine-deficient and sustained efforts are required to strengthen salt iodization programs, according to the report, Iodine status worldwide.
"Iodine deficiency is a major threat to the health and development of people worldwide, particularly preschool children and pregnant women," said Dr LEE Jong-wook, WHO Director-General. "This report shows that the goal of eliminating iodine deficiency around the world is within reach." Deficiency results when the soil is poor in iodine, causing a low concentration in food products and insufficient iodine intake in the population. When iodine requirements are not met, the thyroid may no longer be able to synthesize sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone. The resulting low-level of thyroid hormones in the blood is the principal factor responsible for the series of functional and developmental abnormalities, collectively referred to as iodine deficiency disorders.
Cretinism is the most extreme manifestation of iodine deficiency, but the primary motivation behind the current worldwide drive to eliminate iodine deficiency is the more subtle degree of mental and neurological impairment leading to poor school performance, reduced intellectual ability and impaired work capacity.
Copyright World Health Organization 2004
For this News Release, go to:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2004/pr93/en/
Related Information
Iodine Deficiency Disorders
http://www.who.int/nut/idd.htm
category: News from Other Sources : General Health News
contributed by Andrea Welch on 22 December 2004
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