Punjab Health Services Director General Dr Nisar Ahmed Cheema on Friday appreciated the role of media in ‘significant progress’ towards the goal of Universal Salt Iodisation (USI).
Addressing a media dissemination seminar, he said media has been consistently highlighting the importance of micronutrients such as iodine, iron, vitamins and zinc for improved physical and mental health.
He also appreciated the efforts of the Health Department staff and the technical and financial assistance of micronutrient initiative.
“The Iodine Deficiency Disorders and Universal Salt Iodisation programmes would help children perform better in schools as the consumption of iodised salt leads to increased intelligence among children,” he said.
Dr Cheema said the programme would also help control the adverse effects of iodine deficiency among pregnant women and reduce still births, abortions and other congenital anomalies among newborns.
He claimed that household utilisation of iodised salt had increased to 79 per cent in the Punjab.
Quoting a from National Nutrition Survey 2011, he said this had brought iodine deficiency in mothers from 37 per cent over a few years to three per cent in 2011.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2012.
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