Monday, October 10, 2011

CONSUMPTION OF IODATED SALT IN N/R VERY LOW – FDB


Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) often referred to as a wide range of diseases and deformities that occur in the human body due to lack of iodine, could hit a larger percentage of the population in the Northern Region in the near future if current consumption levels among households and individuals does not improve.

Officials of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) in the Northern Region, say the consumption levels of iodine in salt which is the main source of consumption by the populace was not encouraging, as the situation paints a gloomy picture for children under five and pregnant women.

According to the Oteng Kyei Sylvester, Northern Regional Director of the FDB, a nationwide survey of IDD in 27 districts between 1992 and 1994 revealed that, IDD prevalence was very wide spread and serious in Northern Ghana particularly in Zabzugu-Tatale, East Mamprusi, Bongo, Jirapa and Bole districts.

He said even though stringent measures were put in place since then to improve the situation, there has not been much achievement as many market women/traders still sold uniodated salt to the general public. “Lack of law enforcement on the sale of iodated salt in all markets and shopping outlets across the country and refusal by salt producers to iodise the product after mining were the reasons for low consumption of iodated salt”.

Iodine is a mineral element when added to food promotes proper development and function of the human brain, body, maintenance of body temperature and helps the body to produce energy for physical activities. On the contrary, inadequate intake of this important food element or the absence of it in food means that, one stand the risk of wide range of diseases, deformities and other consequences at all stages of his/her life.

Medical experts say iodine deficiency during pregnancy causes severe and irreversible damage to the developing brain of the foetus, contribute to frequent miscarriages, still births, low birth weight and high infant death. In children, IDD causes reduction in mental function/lowered intelligence quotient, growth failure/stunting, lack of energy/sluggishness, poor eye-hand coordination and inability to hear/speak well, early infant death, sleepiness, dry skin, cold intolerance and among others.

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation and capacity building workshop for media practitioners in the Northern Region in Tamale under the Universal Salt Iodisation (USI) Programme, Mr. Oteng said Ghana has not been able to meet the 90% consumption of iodated salt set aside to be attained by the end of 2005, adding “By the end of 2006 only 74% of household consumption had been attained nationwide”.

The objective of the workshop was to sensitise participants on the importance of consuming iodated salt and also create awareness on the consequences one could face for not taking iodated salt at all so as to enable journalists and broadcasters report effectively on it for the sake of public education.

Meshark Gandaa, a staff of the FDB in a presentation on Food and Drugs Amendment Act, 1996 (ACT 523) further corroborated the fact that consumption of iodated salt was low in the country.
According to him, a recent Sub-regional consultative meeting in Burkina Faso indicated that Ghana and Senegal had the least consumption of iodated salt though the highest producers of salt, thus the urgent need to be USI compliant.

As part of strategies put in place to enforce the iodization of salt in the country, Mr. Gandaa said the FDB was preparing and disseminating code of practice on the manufacture, storage, transport and sale of iodated salt.

Sensitization workshops for law enforcement agencies, the media, miners, distributors and retailers on the need to produce and sell iodated salt was another area being looked at critically, he stressed.

Meanwhile, the media have been urged to voluntarily promote the use of iodated salt and educate the public on the consequences of iodine deficiency by writing articles on IDDs and providing information tit-bits during talk-show segments.

The media in the view of the Food and Drugs Board could also encourage the involvement of all members of society in the campaign to discontinue the use of uniodated salt by developing programs targeted at the relevant stakeholders including manufacturers and traders, caterers/restauranteers, school children and teachers, parents and security agencies.

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