KP likely to make use of iodised salt compulsory

The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is going to make the use of iodised salt compulsory and give legal cover to efforts taken in this regard.
"An initial draft to give legal cover to such efforts has been prepared, which would be sent to Law Department for vetting soon", Additional Director General (ADG), Health Services, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Ali Ahmad told the participants of a consultative workshop on Iodine Deficiency Disorder & Universal Salt Iodization, held under the auspices of Micro Initiatives (MI) here in a local hotel the other day.
A large number of journalists from print and electronic media participated in the workshop. He said that iodine is important element of food, whose fixed quantity is must to be taken.
Dr Ali Ahmad said that Health Department in collaboration with MI is taking steps for the production of iodised salt. For this purpose, he said the salt processors are being trained.
He told that the participants that National Nutrition Survey was completed during September 2011 that was carried out after a period of 10 years and was the largest survey undertaken in Pakistan to assess the nutritional status of women and children of the country.
The preliminary findings of the survey, he said reveals reduction in iodine deficiency among women from 76.3 percent in 2001-02 to 47.7 percent, while severe iodine deficiency reduced from 36.7 percent to less than 4 percent during the same period.
The Additional Director General, Health Services said that reduction in iodine deficiency reduced among school aged children was from 63.7 percent (NNS-2001-02) to 37.1 percent while reduction in severe iodine deficiency for school aged children was from 23.4 percent to only 2.1 percent during the same period. Highlighting problems generated due to iodine deficiency, he said that it is not only causing deaths of children and women, but also affect the mental growth, dumbness, shortness and physical growth of children. Furthermore, he said it also caused infertility in women.
The Provincial Manager, Micro-nutrition Initiatives (MI) Imtiaz Ali Shah said that presently national wide work is in progress for removing the deficiencies of Vitamin A, Zinc and Iron.
He said that a child is required only 15 microgram iodine while a pregnant woman needed 200 microgram and the average requirement of an individual is compulsory use of 150 microgram iodine.