Iodine to the rescue
Case Study
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Background
Do you know why people need iodine in their diet every day? People in Vietnam are quickly realising how important this mineral is. AusAID is funding a $5 000 000 Iodine Project which is due for completion in July 1998. There are two parts to the project: one is designed to make sure people get enough iodine in their diet; the other is to help those people who have already been affected by lack of iodine. An essential part of the project is to educate the people of Vietnam about how to include iodine in their diet every day and why they should do this.
Iodine deficiency is one of the major health problems in Vietnam. Most Vietnamese have difficulty obtaining enough natural iodine in their food. Heavy rain on the mountain slopes and flooding in the deltas has, over many decades washed almost all of the natural iodine from the soil and inland waterways.
AusAID is the Australian Agency for International Development. It manages funds provided by the Australian government to assist people in developing countries to implement programs to meet their needs. The Iodine Project was planned by the Vietnamese and Australian governments working together.
Iodine deficiency
Iodine deficiency is the greatest single preventable cause of brain damage and retardation in people all over the world. Iodine is absorbed through the digestive system then transported via the bloodstream to the thyroid gland. Here it is changed to thyroxine. A lack of iodine can enlarge the thyroid gland which is known as goitre. The enlarged thyroid gland can press against the wind pipe making breathing difficult. The lack of iodine can cause the thyroid gland not to produce enough thyroxine. People with insufficient thyroxine are less active, mentally slower and have learning difficulties. Babies born to mothers who lack iodine are highly likely to be mentally retarded. This cannot be cured. People with iodine deficiency disorders often have to depend on others for their care. Just as people are affected by lack of iodine animals have effects such as low birth weight, they are smaller, produce less meat, eggs and wool. They also have trouble reproducing. This means there is less food available and less iodine in the human food chain.
The Iodine Deficiency Control Project
Adding iodine to salt has proven to be an effective approach to the prevention of iodine deficiency. This project aims to ensure that:
- there is enough salt in Vietnam which contains a sufficient level of iodine
- the price of the salt is regulated so that people can afford it
- Vietnamese people are educated on the need for iodine in their diet and how to cook with and use iodised salt every day
- Vietnamese people are trained to set up systems to maintain healthy levels of iodine in the people's diets.
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