Iodine-deficiency disorders in South-East Asia

Overview

The South-East Asia Region is the global focus for iodine deficiency disorders, with more people affected and higher levels of severity recorded than anywhere else in the world. Environmental iodine deficiency not only extends along the length of the Himalayan belt but also severely affects sub-Himalayan areas, and geographical areas where repeated flooding occurs, thus leaching the iodine out of the soil Eight countries of the Region - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand have a significant national IDD problem. Over 100 million people in the Region suffer from endemic goitre, an estimated 6 million suffer from cretinism, and more than 35 million are currently mentally and/or physically disabled with an intermediate form of IDD.

It was in recognition of the urgent need to strengthen national IDD control programmes that countries of the Region resolved, at the Regional Committee for South-East Asia in 1981, to give a high priority to national IDD control activities with the target of complete control of IDD by the year 2000. WHO/SEARO has consequently developed a regional strategy for the control of iodine deficiency disorders. This has been endorsed by the Member Countries at a joint WHO/UNICEF intercountry workshop on the control of IDD, held at the Regional Office in New Delhi in March 1985.

This publication presents a detailed situation analysis of both the epidemiology and control of IDD in this region.