HYDERABAD:Eminent paediatrician Dr Samreen Shaikh said that Iodine deficiency in children can lead to impaired physical and mental development, potentially causing issues like goitre, cognitive delays, and growth problems.
Talking to reporter here on Friday Dr Samreen Shaikh said that at present 40 percent of women and 60 percent of children were affected only in Sindh province due to iodine deficiency.
She said lack of awareness, wrong perceptions about iodine salt, non-implementation of laws and inadequate performances of management concerns on the government and industrial side were the main reasons behind the poor usage of iodine salt, she added.
She further informed that Iodine deficiency causes mental retardation, poor physical growth, deaf and dampness, short stature and goiter. Its mild state hampers the social and educational development of the children.
For increasing the iodine level in the body, she suggested consuming fish and other seafood, dairy products and eggs, as they are excellent natu
ral sources of iodine.
To a question about using Iodine supplements, she suggested using in under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
She said that all the salt-producing factories, producing salt without iodine must be encouraged and made bound for producing salt with iodine. Besides the awareness about breast-feeding must be accelerated to avoid deficiencies in the children and mothers, she added.
Dr Samreen said that the government has launched different multidimensional health projects for the betterment of the health of the people but keeping in view the low literacy rate in the country awareness at the mass level was essential not only to motivate the people to avail the benefits and follow the guidelines but also to make these projects more success, alma added.
She said that iodine was one of the mineral chemicals, which is required for human development, intellectual development and smooth reproductive functioning in the human body.