Compendium of Case Studies
March 2018, Vol. 108, (3 Suppl 1)
The UNICEF-GAIN Partnership Project
The report notes that iodine deficiency is a leading cause of preventable brain damage worldwide. Insufficient iodine during pregnancy and infancy results in neurological and psychological deficits, reducing a child’s IQ by 8 to 10 points. This translates ...into major losses in the cognitive capital of entire nations and thus their socio-economic development.
The report outlines urgent steps to reduce the risk of mental impairment to babies’ growing brains:
• Integrate salt iodization into national plans to support children’s nutrition and brain development in early childhood;
• Align salt iodization and salt reduction agendas;
• Establish surveillance systems to identify unreached populations;
• Strengthen regulatory systems to enforce existing legislation on salt iodization;
• Recognize the growing importance of fortified foods as potential sources of iodized salt.
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UNICEF’s Global HIV Response 2018 – 2021
Accessed: 02.11.2019
Washington, D.C., USA, 23-27 September 2018
Provisional Agenda Item 4.6
CD56/10, Rev. 1 31 August 2018
Original: Spanish