VietNamNet Bridge – Increasing iodine deficiency might lead to a comeback for several serious conditions including goitre and brain damage which Viet Nam was faced with more than a decade ago, experts are warning.

People buy iodised salt in Vo Nhai Town in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. Experts warn that the decreased use of iodised salt might lead to the comeback of several serious healh conditions which Viet Nam conquered over a decade ago. (Photo: VNS)

This figure is much lower in Ha Noi, where the use of iodised salt in 2009 was only 25.6 per cent against nearly 100 per cent in 2005.

And according to the report, HCM City and other locations around the country have witnessed similar decreases.

Iodine deficiency posed a lot of health problems, especially to pregnant women and young children, said the hospital.

Tien Phong newspaper, meanwhile, cited the HCM City Nutrition Centre as saying half of the pupils in the city lacked iodine; the proportion of pupils suffering from goitre caused by iodine deficiency has increased from 12 per cent in 1998 to 15 per cent currently.

Tran Thi Kim Hanh, head of the Community Nutrition Department at the centre said: "Households are used to buying non-iodised salt and seasoning powder and are reluctant to change."

Ngo Ngoc Nhung, a Hanoian living in Gia Lam District said her family used non-iodised seasoning powder because "it tastes better".

She added that a lot of families did not use iodised seasoning powder for the same reason.

Viet Nam previously ran a ten-year programme to deal with iodine deficiency.

The campaign ended in 2005 with Viet Nam announcing that it had solved the problem of iodine deficiency all over the country.

However, after that success, the project was removed from the National Target Programme.

It then became a regular activity of localities but did not receive due attention, said Nhan Dan newspaper.

According to that paper, the Ministry of Health allotted around VND5–7 billion (US$230,000–325,000) each year to the Central Endocrine Hospital to tackle problems related to iodine deficiency.

But this sum only funded two-thirds of the activities required, the newspaper said.

Responding, Nguyen Thi Xuyen, deputy minister of Health, requested that localities quickly take measures to alleviate iodine deficiency.

She said communications work would help raise people's awareness and change their attitude.

The iodised salt currently being manufactured should also be regularly and carefully inspected, while the range of iodised food products on sale should be diversified, Xuyen said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News