Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu

IODINE

National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme Status Report

National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme is implemented from the year 1991.
IDD Cell is functioning from 1.7.1994.
Total BAN for selling non iodised salt for edible purposes is in force from 1.1.1995.
The ban has been extended for another period of five years from 1.1.2000.
Iodised salt is being sold at a subsidised rate of Rs.2.50 per kg.in Public Distribution System outlets in all the districts of Tamil Nadu except Kanyakumari district.
Goitre Surveys are conducted from 1990. All the 29 districts have been covered. (ANNEXURE I)
Goitre is prevalent in all the districts. 18 districts out of 29 have more than 10 % prevalance.
Spot testing for iodine is done using MBI spot test kits.

STRENGTHENING OF IODINE DEFICIENCY DISORDER CELL LABORATORY

The Government of India have supplied Laboratory equipments worth of Rs.3 lakhs for conducting Urinary Iodine analysis. The Central Nutrition Bureau Laboratory of this Directorate is carrying out this activity. Two Laboratory Assistants are already trained at National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi. During the year 2000, 123 samples of urine were analysed out of which 19 were found to be normal (25 and above microgram of Iodine) and 104 were belownormal (below 25 microgram of Iodine).

During the year 2001, 100 samples of urine were analysed and all 100 were found to be below normal.

ACTIVITIES UNDER NIDDCP (1998 - 1999)

Celebration of Global IDD day at Chennai.
Advocacy workshops for school teachers at Chennai, T.Kallupatti, Muningipatti and Krishnagiri DIET centres
Preparation of IEC materials like 8600 Acrilic table display and 10000 stickers.
Goitre surveys in six districts.

ACTIVITIES UNDER NIDDCP (1999 - 2000)

State level advisory committee meeting on IDD program at the Directorate.
Goitre surveys in five districts.
Supply of 4000 MBI Spot test kits.
Preparation of IEC materials:

One line stickers for bumpers of vehicles- 10000 numbers.
Danglers for the retailers selling Iodised salt-25000numbers
Preparation of Jingles on Iodised salt (12 numbers 1 minute jingles and 12 numbers of half minute jingles) for broadcasting through All India Radio.
Preparation of 154 Nos of Audio cassettes containing Iodised salt jingles recorded in between Tamil film hit songs for the use field publicity.
Preparation of 50 Nos. Photo blowups on IDD to serve as exhibits for publicity purposes in exhibitions.
A state level survey was conducted during 1999 to assess the awareness, availabilty and acceptability of Iodised salt in rural Tamilnadu. (The results are put up in ANNEXURE II).

ACTIVITIES UNDER NIDDCP (2000 - 2001)

Supply of 21500 MBI kits to districts for doing spot tests.
It is proposed to obtain funds from the government to pay for the broadcasting of Jingles already prepared during the prime time in AIR.
It is proposed to conduct the State level Advisory committee meeting for this year.
It is proposed to take up Goitre surveys in six districts.
Preparation of IEC materials.
Celebration of Global IDD day on 21/10/2000.

ACTIVITIES UNDER NIDDCP (2001 - 2002)

An article on I.D.D was published in Yearly Health Magazine 'DINAMANI MARUTHUVAMALAR' in Tamil to promote Iodised Salt.
The importance of Iodised Salt was stressed through an advertisement in the same Magazine.
Booklets on I.D.D in Tamil were prepared and supplied to Deputy Directors of Health Services for distribution to school students.
Global IDD Day was celebrated on 21st October 2001. A talk on I.D.D was broadcasted through All India Radio in a programme called 'Manai Mangalam'
Regular classes and demonstrations are conducted to Medical students and para-medical health personnel on I.D.D and the importance of Iodised Salt.
Policy level sensitization workshop on Iodine Deficiency Disorders was organized at Chennai on 13.12.2001.

DECISION TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

The State Health Ministers meeting was held on 31.8.2000 to discuss the issue of compulsory iodisation of salt as a strategy to combat Iodine Deficiency Disorders. The matter has been examined comprehensively by the Government. In view of the decision to withdraw the earlier central notification introducing compulsory iodisation of salt for direct human consumption it has requested that State Governments may consider the need for having statutory provision for compulsory iodisation of salt under the PFA Act 1954, covering part or whole of the State, In view of above, in the State of Tamilnadu the ban on common salt for edible purpose will continue for another 5 years with effect from 1.1.2000.

ANNEXURE I - RESULTS OF GOITRE SURVEYS

S.No.	District	Year	Cases	Goitre	%
1.	Ramanathapuram	1995	13718	2464	18.0
2.	The Nilgiris	1999	19659	3273	16.6
3.	Thiruvarur	1998	12496	1817	14.5
4.	Salem	1999	46514	5802	12.5
5.	Virudhunagar	1995	11000	1437	13.1
6.	Villupuram	1999	44700	5376	12.0
7.	Coimbatore	1995	36999	4316	11.7
8.	Kanniyakumari	1999	25243	2966	11.7
9.	Dharmapuri	1999	65792	7576	11.5
10.	Pudukottai	1998	24603	2741	11.1
11.	Namakkal	1998	12789	1338	10.5
12.	Nagapattinam	1998	14185	1471	10.4
13.	Erode	1998	22342	2321	10.4
14.	Perambalur	1999	25240	2636	10.4
15.	Tuticorin	1995	18119	1865	10.3
16.	Thanjavur	1998	16337	1659	10.2
17.	Chennai	1996	25483	2567	10.1
18.	Trichirapalli	1999	33523	3362	10.0
19.	Theni	1998	14549	1350	9.3
20.	Thiruvannamalai	1999	48848	4563	9.3
21.	Dindigul	1999	53719	4742	8.8
22.	Vellore	1997	36331	3085	8.5
23.	Kancheepuram	1997	21301	1680	7.9
24.	Cuddalore	2000	45592	3547	7.8
25.	Sivaganga	1995	23868	1815	7.6
26.	Thiruvallur	1996	19823	1480	7.5
27.	Tirunelveli	1995	27674	1928	7.0
28	Madurai	2000	42506	2687	6.3
29.	Karur	2000	29614	1057	3.6

ANNEXURE II - A SURVEY ON THE AWARENESS, AVAILABILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF IODISED SALT - RESULTS AT A GLANCE

DETAILS	GROUP A	GROUP B	STATE
No. of villages surveyed	270	990	1260
No. of households surveyed	5100	19460	24560
Retail shops surveyed	1310	4488	5798
Ration shops surveyed in Gr.A Dist	180	-	180
Noonmeal centres surveyed	457	1640	2097
School hostels surveyed	59	228	287
AWARENESS OF HOUSEHOLDS (%)
On Iodised salt	42	35	37
On Goitre	15	14	14
SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON IODISED SALT (%)
Health staff	21	20	20
TV / Radio	49	43	44
Newspapers	10	8	9
Others	20	29	27
IDENTIFICATION OF IODISED SALT BY THE HOUSEHOLDS (%)
Words 'Iodised Salt' on the packet	81	82	82
Logo of 'Smiling Sun'	19	18	18
AVAILABILITY OF IODISED SALT (%)
Retailers selling Iodised salt	-	-	-
as per spot test	76	50	56
Ration shops in Gr.A Dist (%)	-	-	-
selling Iodised salt	100	-	100
ACCEPTABILITY OF IODISED SALT (%)
Buying Iodised salt voluntarily	58	37	43
Households using Iodised salt
as per spot test	59	28	35
Noon meal centres using Iodised
salt as per spot test	52	11	20
School hostels using Iodised salt
as per spot test	51	25	30
REASONS GIVEN BY HOUSEHOLDS NOT USING IODISED SALT (%)
Costly	10	19	18
Not available in the village	13	21	19
No idea on Iodised salt	77	60	63

GROUP A : Trichy, Karur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Coimbatore,The Nilgiris, Salem, Namakkal Districts where Iodised salt is sold through PDS.

GROUP B : Other Districts.

The Salt samples analysed through spot testing is as follows

S.No	Details	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003	2003-2004	2004-2005 July' 04
1	Shops visited	67528	83553	97144	131029	36650
	Sample tested	65050	81211	93416	123485	35436
	No of samples Without iodine With < 15 ppm With > 15 ppm	19676 (30%) 20609 (32%) 24765 (38%)	21875 (27%) 27044 (33%) 32292 (40%)	22877 (24%) 31649 (34%) 38890 (42%)	23791(19%) 38049(31%) 61645(50%)	7082(20%) 10997(31%) 17357(49%)
2.	Households visited Households using Iodised salt	198649 140785 (71%)	201692 154631(77%)	218791 165448 (76%)	316454 272761(86%)	86748 68952(79%)

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