Southern States
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Andhra Pradesh
Iodine deficiency pronounced in seven districts
By M. Malleswara Rao
HYDERABAD, DEC. 8. Just 5 grams of iodine is sufficient for a human being for 90 years.
Since iodine is not stored in the body, this element, one of the 45 micro-nutrients required for good health, has to be taken as a supplement on a daily basis.
The chances of daily intake of even little quantity continue to be dim in some places in the State, especially rural and tribal areas, with common salt manufacturers having a field-day on the strength of a High Court order staying the State Government ban on such salt which is normally devoid of iodine.
Iodine is not available in food because most soils lack the nutrient due to soil-erosion. So, iodine has to be necessarily added to food.
Can the Government make it mandatory for common salt manufacturers to issue the kind of ``statutory warning'' such as the one seen against cigarettes? There is no such possibility right now as, this salt, available in crystal form, is invariably sold in loose. Villagers and tribals prefer it for its price -- Rs. 2.50 or so per kg compared to ``iodised salt'' packets which are not made available across the tribal belt and if available, sold at Rs. 6 or more per kg.
Owing to funds constraint, official survey could be conducted only eight districts in the State so far on the ill-effects of iodine deficiency and seven out of them were found to be ``endemic.'' The districts are Srikakulam, Vizianagarm, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Khammam, Warangal and Adilabad. East Godavari suffered the highest IDD (iodine deficiency) at 64.4 per cent, followed by Adilabad (54 per cent), Khammam (43 per cent) and Visakhapatnam (34 per cent).
A subsequent survey showed that Nellore, Krishna and Mahabubnagar suffered IDD at 12 to 16 per cent. The implication is that IDD is present all over the State, requiring a strong Government intervention in one form or other.
With the non-availability of a legislation for the time being, the Governments, either Central or State agencies, have launched an awareness campaign for educating the rural and tribal masses against use of common salt. Right now, a thousand officers of the Directorate of Field Publicity of the Union Government are engaged on this work, using their 270 units spread all over the country. Mr M. V. V. S.Murthy, Director, Field Publicity, Andhra Pradesh region, says pulse polio, reproductive health and iodine deficiency have been categorised as focus areas but right now, their thrust is on IDD.
Dr. Farhat Saiyed, Nutrition Officer, UNICEF, who made a research on the issue, lists Rampachodavaram in East Godavari as the ``most endemic'' in the State. There, the symptoms are all the more glaring -- goitre, hypothyroidism, mental retardation, and stillbirths.
Among the countries, China topped the list with 16 million people suffering from IDD while in India, a population of 15 crore are ``at risk.'' Pakistan and Nepal are better placed with only 0.22 million and 1.0 million people at risk.
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