Kenyans have been urged to increase the consumption of iodine, especially in food, in a bid to eliminate micronutrient deficiency, which is responsible for a variety of health and development disorders collectively referred to as Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD).
Iodine deficiency, a leading cause of mental retardation, is especially damaging from the first stages of pregnancy into young childhood.
Speaking in Mombasa during a regional consultation on Sustainable Food Fortification (FF) and Universal Salt Iodisation (USI) in Mombasa, Iodine Global Network (IGN) Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa region Professor Festo Kavishe said that even mild to moderate deficiency could cause cognitive impairment.
He said the regional coordination mechanism would accelerate efforts to prevent micronutrient deficiencies through coordinated fortification of staple foods and universal salt iodisation across 25 countries from four regional communities: SADC, ECSA-HC, the East African Community (EAC), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
He noted that the deficiency of essential vitamins and essential minerals collectively known as ‘hidden huger’ deprives children of their vitality at every stage of life and undermines the health and wellbeing of children, young people, and mothers.
“The meeting, which is organised by Kenya’s Ministry of Health, UNICEF, WHO, GAIN, Nutrition International, and the Iodine Global Network (IGN), will also explore strategies for achieving the World Health Assembly targets for 2025 of eliminating IDD in all countries and communities,” he said.
According to Prof. Kavishe, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East, Central, and Southern African Health Community member states where iodine deficiency is endemic and partners conceived the Food Fortification and Universal Salt Iodisation Regional Coordination Mechanism (FF/USI RCM) to coordinate partner efforts towards accelerating country programs for the prevention.
He said that a total of 25 countries, including Kenya, have come up with strategies that would ensure micronutrients such as iodine are added to food stuff that is mostly consumed daily, such as maize flour, wheat flour, and rice, among other products, to help boost the brain capacity of its citizens and boost productivity.
According to a report by Southern African Development Community (SADC) member countries, the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age (15-49 years) ranges between 21 per cent (Malawi, Namibia, and Seychelles) and 54 per cent in Mozambique.
According to the World Health Organisation, a prevalence of 20 per cent or above is referred to as a severe public health concern.
“Iodine deficiency is the world’s most preventable cause of brain damage and has long been endemic in all countries of Eastern and Southern Africa. Folate deficiencies are known to cause Spina Bifida and the other neural tube defects,” said Kavishe.
He noted that key stakeholders from Eastern and Southern Africa have taken to task and come up to advance efforts aimed at eradicating micronutrient deficiencies in the region.
He added that at least 130 key participants, including government officials, industry experts, and regional and international partners, would participate in the discussion.
The aim is to review and assess the status of food fortification and USI programmes across the region.
“The primary goal is to foster collaboration, share best practices, and agree on an evidence-based strategic road map aimed at eliminating micronutrient deficiencies in Eastern and Southern Africa by scaling up large-scale food fortification,” he said.
He said they would also review the progress and challenges of existing FF and USI programmes.
He added that they would also discuss the findings of the 2022 mid-term review of the USI/IDD roadmap, adopting a framework for the regional strategic action plan (2025-2030) to accelerate sustainable food fortification and supporting countries in the region to implement and monitor the World Health Assembly’s (WHA) 2023 resolution on food fortification.
He noted that the consultation aims to deliver several key outputs, including a 2024 Mombasa declaration on preventing and controlling micronutrient deficiency.
SADC and the East, Central, and Southern African Health Community (ECSA_HC) member states have adopted food fortification as a key strategy to address micronutrient inadequacies, such as adding iron and folic acid to staple foods to increase consumption of diversified diets, micronutrient supplementation, and universal salt iodisation (USI) for the prevention of iodine deficiency disorder (IDD).
The World Health Assembly Resolution adopted food fortification as an effective and sustainable method to deliver micronutrients to at-risk populations.
The resolution emphasized the use of data, multi-sectoral collaboration, strengthened surveillance, and knowledge sharing to inform food fortification programs.
Member states were urged to use available scientific evidence, guidance, and tools to design, develop, operationalise, and monitor the population impact of their USI and food fortification programmes.
Food fortification programmes face several challenges, including inadequate recent data on key biomarkers, poor infrastructures and logistics for distributing fortified foods, low affordability at the household level, lack of awareness or consumer acceptance, competing public health priorities, and unsustainable systems for procuring pre-mixes.
“Addressing these challenges requires a multi-sectoral approach involving governments, industry, civil society organisations, research and academic institutions, and international partners. Lessons learnt from the progress made in USI programmes can be used to guide the way forward for both USI and LSFF,” he said.
By Chari Suche
