Goitre Prevalence goes down to 1 percent in Nagaland

Guwahati: The efforts of the Nagaland Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, department to deal with Goitre have yielded results. A recent survey report has brought some good news for the people of Nagaland. Prevalence of Goitre, a disease caused by enlarged thyroid, which was as high as 34.3 per cent in the 1960s has come down to 1 per cent recently in Nagaland, which falls under “areas of severest iodine deficiency”, an official said.

Expressing his happiness over the achievement, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland, Akuo Sorhie said, “This has been possible through concerted awareness efforts,” State Programme Officer, National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme. She further said, “Nagaland is located in the sub-Himalayan belt and falls under areas of severest iodine deficiency, Iodine deficiency remains one of the most neglected and most widespread of all nutritional deficiencies in the sub-Himalayan areas,” The Director also said “Nagaland was declared as one of the Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) endemic states in India through a baseline survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in the early 1960s, where 34.3 per cent of Goiter prevalence was recorded.

Shourie, further informed that she was hopeful of the effort by all the stakeholders in bringing down the prevalence rate of goitre to below one per cent in the State by 2020. “A recent survey in this regard has revealed that the prevalence rate has come down to about 1 per cent.

Noteworthy. Goitre is a swelling of the neck resulting from enlargement of the thyroid gland and it commonly develops as a result of iodine deficiency or inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Dwelling on the theme ‘Iodised salt, traders responsibilities,” she urged the salt traders to join the fight against IDDs asking them to sell only iodized salt for human consumption.

Mentioning that the traders iodised salt has an important responsibility in ensuring universal consumption of iodised salt, Sorhie asked them not to expose iodised salt bags to rain, high humidity, extreme heat or sunlight, dust and other conditions of contamination. Sorhie, further asked them to buy iodised salt only from reputed and authorised iodised salt producers and also check the quality of iodised salt held in stock and be sure that it contained 15 parts per million (ppm) or above of iodine before releasing in the market.

The officer was speaking at a programme to mark the ‘Global Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Day on Wednesday.