Residents Urged To Patronized Only Iodized Salts

20-11-2010
The Executive Director Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Agency (IDDICA), William Kwasi Kuditey, has recommended the sale and usage of adequately iodized salt for consumption, since its absence or inadequacies has severe consequences on the human body, thus affecting the economy at large. According to him, Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) makes most working men and women slow in thinking and reduce their performance. This, he said, does not only make them unproductive but also cause the nation to lose about 27 million dollars annually. Mr. Kuditey, made the disclosure during an Iodine Sensitization Programme held at Nayorigo Primary School in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region. The sensitization programme was jointly organised by the Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Agency and the Foods and Drugs Board (FDB), brought together a cross section of the public, students and pupils, as well as representatives from the district health and education directorate. The Executive Director, Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Agency, Mr. William Kwasi Kuditey in a presentation advised Ghanaians particularly, women to patronize only adequately iodated salt on the markets for consumption. He said the use of rocky and non-iodated salt can lead to unpleasant consequences including infant mortality, brain damages as well as lower intelligent quotient among students. This, he said, contributes to the continuous fallen standard of education, and poor working performance in the country. Mr. Kuditey mentioned the Bongo and Jirapa Districts as the two most endemic areas when it comes to Iodine Deficiency Disorders. These two districts recorded low iodine level with high prevalence of iodine deficiency according to a baseline study conducted on adults and children between the ages of 6-12 years in 2007. He said in Sub-Saharan Africa, only Nigeria was able to increase cooking with iodated salts to 97 percent, almost hitting the maximum of 100 percent set by the United Nations, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo at 79 percent. Only 32 percent of Ghanaians, he added, cook with iodized salt. A Representative from the Regional Office of the FDB, Mr. Zakaria Braimah hinted that plans are far advance to halt the sale and importation of non-iodized salts into the region in order to achieve the Universal Salt Iodization Goal of at least 90 percent households consuming only adequately iodized salts. He expressed his outfit’s preparedness to mobilize the needed resources and personnel to clamp down on perpetrators. Mr. Braimah, however, entreated residents in the area to be cautious of salts they buy from the markets and stick to preventive measures of patronizing iodized salts for consumption since its consequences are enormous and irreversible. A representative from the Nutrition Unit of the District Health Directorate, Mumuni Abdul Jaleel, outlined most of the health implications associated with the consumption of non-iodized salts and called on the people to constantly patronize only adequately iodized salts for good health. This he noted would help improve upon the academic performance of students in the area. Pupils at the Nayoriogo primary school who were later presented with iodized salt containers and school bags