While Tamil Nadu is a leader in implementing public health interventions, it needs to put in more effort to combat iodine deficiency disorders, according to B.K. Tiwari, Nutrition Advisor, Union Health Ministry.
Iodine deficiency could not be ignored as its effects were hidden and profound, affecting the health and productivity of the nation. The problem in Tamil Nadu was “most serious.”
Over one third of the population was using non iodised salt. Only about 41 per cent had access to adequately iodised salt. This was higher than most States in the country, where the consumption of zero-iodine salt was around 20 per cent.
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Dr. Tiwari went on to say that the IDD cell in the State was not fully operational. Budgeted accounts for the year 2009-2010 were yet to be submitted. Tamil Nadu must ensure that no salt that was not iodised entered the supply chain.
As for the salt manufactured by small and medium businesses, where it was not viable to go in for iodisation, the State, or private manufacturers must procure the stock and run it through the iodisation process before it entered the market.
It had to be very clear that common salt could be sold for human consumption in the country. It would not make sense to iodise the entire quantity of salt being produced in the country as only 51 tonnes of the 240 tonnes being produced was used for human consumption.
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Addressing the inaugural of a workshop on iodine advocacy organised by the Directorate of Public Health in association with UNICEF, Chandrakant Pandav, head, Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, stressed the need to step up awareness campaigns.
Satish Kumar, UNICEF State representative, said about 6.6 lakh babies born in Tamil Nadu every year were unprotected because the mothers did not have adequate iodised salt. R.T. Porkaipandian, Director of Public Health, spoke.