The Micron-utrient Initiative (MI) an International Organisation working globally on essential micronutrients like iodine, vitamin A, zinc and iron are now a day's conducting training sessions for the skills enhancement of salt processors in the whole country.
Addressing salt processors in district Charsadda, Executive District Officer (EDO) Health, Charsadda, Dr Fazle-Akbar said that Universal Salt Iodization (USI) Programme for Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) a mega project of the organisation and is implementing the programme in the whole country including GB and AJK. The iodine deficiency causes various diseases like dumbness, deafness, goitre, loss of stamina, premature abortions, cretinism and the most important is the low IQ level of children.
Naeem Wazir USI Filed Officer (MI) highlighted the methods of salt Iodization and said that one kilogram iodine is enough for iodizing 20 MT of salt. He said the future of our coming generation is lying in our hands. Genius minds can only be created if adequately iodized salt is available at household level. He said iodine deficiency is the single most common cause of mental handicap world-wide, but is completely preventable.
Iodine deficiency is the single most common cause of preventable mental retardation, brain damage cretinism, reproductive failure, and deaf mutism, among other serious health problems in the world. Globally 2.2 billion people (38pc of the world's population) live in areas with iodine deficiency and risk its complications. One fourth of the world's population has diets that are deficient in iodine. 1.6 billion people world wide are at risk of IDD, and 300 million are believed to be intellectually impaired. While in Pakistan Goiter is prevalent in 40 percent of children and women. An estimated 2.1 million children are born with mental impairment as a result of iodine deficiency.