Salt Fortification
₹600.00
Salt Fortification
The Need
Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) range from goitre, hypothyroidism, cretinism, brain damage, intellectual disability, psychomotor defects, hearing and speech impairment, abortion and stillbirths etc.. Intelligent Quotient (IQ) Children born in iodine deficient areas have 13.5 IQ points less than those in Iodine sufficient areas A majority of the consequences of IDD are invisible and irreversible, but are totally preventable. IDD constitute the
single largest cause of preventable brain damage worldwide.
Every year ~9 million pregnant women and ~8 million newborns are at risk of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in India. IDDs are linked to iodine deficient soil. This leads to deficiency of iodine in crops, with consequently low iodine in the diet for livestock and humans. This deficiency of iodine in the diet can be addressed by fortification of salt because it is consumed almost daily and universally. Due to lack of iodine in the soil and therefore in diet ~1. 2 billion people are at risk of IDD and ~264 million people are at high risk. India has the largest number of children born vulnerable to IDD. Currently, 92% of the population consumes iodised salt in India.10,
