To get people into the habit of using iodized salt

(Baonghean) - Iodine is a micronutrient that is essential for the body's development. Iodine deficiency is the cause of thyroid disorders. Goiter and cretinism are two common diseases related to iodine deficiency. In addition, iodine deficiency also affects the health of pregnant women, increasing the risk of stillbirth, miscarriage... and for children, iodine deficiency causes children to have intellectual disabilities, slow brain development, also known as cretinism, causing them to face many difficulties in life as well as in learning.

According to the survey data of the Central Endocrinology Hospital, in the 90s of the last decade, the rate of people suffering from thyroid disease and mental retardation due to iodine deficiency nationwide was very high. In Nghe An, through the survey in mountainous districts in 1990, it was shown that the rate of goiter was 38.1%, in which some communes had a high rate such as Pha Danh - Ky Son: 78%, 1.6% of children were mentally retarded, 8-10% of children in remote communes were mentally retarded. In the plains, the general rate of goiter was from 8 to 15% (average 12%) concentrated in coastal plain communes because these districts are where salt is produced and people mainly use white salt, but the amount of iodine in white salt is not enough to meet the requirements for disease prevention.

Visit and examination to detect goiter at the Endocrinology Hospital. Photo: TV

In Nghe An, the National Target Program for the Prevention of Iodine Deficiency Disorders was implemented synchronously with the participation of all levels and sectors. The issue of salt supply and circulation was undertaken by the Trade sector, the Health sector, and the Women's Union organized propaganda and education, instructing people on how to preserve and use iodized salt to prevent and treat iodine deficiency disorders. Thanks to the good work of supply and propaganda, at the end of the national program "Elimination of Iodine Deficiency Disorders" in 2005, Nghe An successfully completed and exceeded the set target with 3 indicators: Coverage of iodized salt meeting disease prevention standards in the entire population reached 94.5%, median urinary iodine level reached 14mcg/dl; goiter rate in children from 8 to 10 years old decreased to 1.91%.

After the end of the national health program "prevention of iodine deficiency disorders", the State no longer subsidized production and transportation costs for units producing and circulating iodized salt, the distribution and circulation forces of the Mountainous Trade Joint Stock Company and other units were significantly reduced due to economic accounting. Therefore, the amount of iodized salt distributed to mountainous districts in Nghe An province decreased sharply. From there, the amount of salt produced at factories and enterprises also decreased significantly compared to before.

Doctor Nguyen Van Hoan - Director of Nghe An Endocrinology Hospital, said: "After the end of the target program in our province, most of the targets set out have exceeded the targets set by the Central Government. From 2006 to now, the period of maintaining the achieved results has been maintained. However, the biggest difficulty now is that the State no longer subsidizes the price and freight for iodized salt to prevent diseases, while the lives of people in mountainous, remote and highland areas are currently facing many difficulties and shortages, so the purchase and use of iodized salt will decrease. In the next few years, the risk of iodine deficiency disorders will return and is inevitable. The immediate solution is that the State needs to continue to pay attention to supporting policies. In the long term, all levels and sectors need to strengthen propaganda work, raise awareness so that people understand that using iodized salt is an effective and cheap measure but protects the health of themselves and their families. family. From there, contribute to achieving the goal of sustainable control and prevention of iodine deficiency in Nghe An province in the following years.

Charter - Tu Thanh