KARACHI, July 7: Legislation for across the board availability of iodized salt in Sindh as the only food salt at affordable rates coupled with concerted efforts to engender public demand for the same was strongly recommended at a seminar on Wednesday to contain considerably high incidence of iodine deficiency disorders among women and children.

Relevant stake-holders, including salt processors, medical professionals and representatives of government-sponsored programme, recommended this at a seminar held under aegis of the Sindh Nutrition Project and the UNICEF on Wednesday.

The speakers acknowledged the significance of iodized salt and said that it was prerequisite to contain iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) - the leading cause of preventable mental retardation, intellectual impairment, cretinism and reproductive failure.

The salt processors from Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur districts agreed to establish an association in order to ease the procedure of potassium iodide procurement from the department concerned.

The proposed association would also help ensuring strict vigil preventing misuse of the commodity offered to them at highly subsidized rate in the larger interest of public health.

The Nutrition Project Officer of UNICEF, Dr Moazzam Hossain, gave statistics showing massive decline in the use of iodized salt. Referring to a survey, he said that 22 per cent of people in Sindh were using iodized salt in food preparation in the year 2000.

However, massive decline in the trend was witnessed in the year 2002 as only 11 per cent were found using the iodized salt. According to the survey, he said 35 per cent of people in Sindh claimed that it was not cost-effective while another 15 per cent cited non-availability of iodized salt as the main reason for not using the product in their meals.

Similarly, he added that 30 per cent of the people had serious nature of misconceptions related to the product. He noted that the situation was all the more serious in the backdrop where 30 per cent of women in Sindh were reported with goitre.

Dr Moazzam Hossain mentioned that 40 per cent of mothers in Sindh were reported with severe to moderate levels of iodine deficiency. Among children, he said that 44 per cent of boys and girls between six and 12 years in Sindh were found to be moderately deficient in iodine.

The moderate level of iodine deficiency could lead to low IQ and other disabilities among the children, he added. The expert warned that if half of the very children suffered from one or more of these complications it could be expected that they would never be able to achieve their full potential in development and education.

He said that with almost half of the population affected by iodine deficiency, it was impossible for a country to reach its development. He also reminded that the national salt iodization campaign was launched in 1990s following considerably high incidence of goitre among local women besides moderate to severe degree deficiencies of micro-nutrients among local children.

According to him, there are some options to control iodine deficiency and contain related health conditions, however, food fortification in terms of salt iodization is the most cost- effective strategy proven extremely successful in many of the developing countries, including Bangladesh.

About the cost incurred in iodization of salt, he said the commodity available to local processors at a cost of Rs150 per kilogram brought the cost per person - per year to a mere five paisas.

It may be mentioned here that the UNICEF is the body authorised to procure potassium iodide from international market which is forwarded to registered salt processors through government agencies at highly subsidized rates. -APP