Awareness Camp-cum-Quiz competition on Iodine Deficiency Disorders on Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder Day

Chandigarh, 21st October, 2016: The National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Program Cell, Health Department of Chandigarh launched a week long awareness campaign in the City to create awareness regarding Iodine Deficiency disorders.

Students of 5 Government schools were given awareness on this problem. Numerous students were informed about correct use of iodized salt and about various disorders of Iodine Deficiency. In the same week, awareness through advertisement in papers, radio talks, messages on T.V. and advertisement through airing of taped messages on IDD too was done by the Iodine deficiency Disorders Control Program Cell.  Posters were given to each school for displaying at vantage points. Handbills, books and on the spot iodine testing kits too were provided to each school for awareness. Badges on IDD were distributed among children of various schools.

Iodine Deficiency as presented by “Goitre” has prevalence rate of 7.3% in Chandigarh. At national level more than 200 million people are at risk of IDD while the number of persons suffering from goiter is above 70 million. Approximately 2.2 million children are born cretins (child born with physical & mental retardation) and 6.6 million have some kind of neurological deficit. Out of 312 district surveyed so far in India, 254 districts are IDD endemic.           

The ‘Global Iodine Deficiency Disorders Week’ concluded with a quiz competition at Conference Hall, New OPD Block, Govt. Multi Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh. An exhibition on Goitre and IDD was also arranged where arrangedon the spot testing of iodised salt was done to check the iodine content of salt used by the  people.

Director Health Services, Dr. Rakesh Kumar Kashyap, Chandigarh advocated that seeing the efforts of the department, Chandigarh would soon achieve non – endemic status i.e.  prevalence rate of IDD  will fall below 7.3% which labels the area as non-endemic.