The Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) Project

Eighty Five Million Children Face A Brighter Future

UNICEF has declared that 85 million children will be born free of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) this year. IDD is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation. Whole populations face reduced mental and physical capacity when they are iodine deficient.
Kiwanis members around the world have made it possible for Kiwanis International to fund programs to iodize simple salt in more than 80 countries and areas around the world. These grants have helped UNICEF and others to create this global public health miracle. Millions of children and their families no longer have to fear the consequences of a lack of iodine in their diets because of the help provided by the men, women, and children of the Kiwanis family.

Because of the global effort to wipe out IDD it is now estimated that more than 70 percent of the world has access to iodized salt, the most practical vehicle for providing iodine in the diet. Because there is still work to be done Kiwanis members continue to raise funds that will make it possible to help eliminate the threat of IDD in the 30 percent of the world now unprotected.
The world is a better place because Kiwanis volunteers have invested in the future of children and through the children have ensured a better future for the world we all share.

Word of the President, Carol Bellamy, 8 December 1999

I would like to express my deep appreciation to all of you for your support in the battle to end Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), the world’s single greatest cause of mental retardation. As you know, the problem of IDD is mainly addressed trough the simple process of iodizing salt.
In 1990, heads of State and Government at the World Summit for Children in New York set the goal of eliminating IDD by the year 2000, targeting universal salt iodization as the key to achieving it. Over the past decade, progress towards achieving this goal has been unparalleled in the history of public nutrition in almost every region of the world.
Much of the credit for this progress must go to Kiwanis International, whose members have been providing funds for IDD elimination activities since 1994. Over the past five years, Kiwanis International’s Worldwide Service Project has raised more than 25 million dollars to support programs to eliminate IDD in over 70 countries around the world. We believe that in 1999, Kiwanis International’s contribution has helped to save some 8 million infants from potential mental retardation and other associated effects of IDD. The lives of these infants have been changed forever because of the work of Kiwanians around the world.
But there is still much to be done if the Summit goal is to be achieved. The region of Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States has dropped far behind the rest of the world in progress towards eliminating IDD. In the 1950’s, government-controlled salt iodization substantially reduced IDD prevalence; but these programs were discontinued during the 1970s and sadly, IDD is once more a public health problem in at least 24 of the region’s 27 countries. While a few countries have made impressive progress, recent data from most of the region’s major salt producers suggest that overall, barely 15% of all food grade salt is currently iodized.
As part of the effort to accelerate progress, a meeting was recently held in Kiev, focusing on the crucial role of salt producers and traders in plans to achieve universal salt iodization. A great deal of credit for the meeting’s success goes to Kiwanis International for its active involvement in the planning process and its excellent presentation on commercial marketing of salt. The meeting unanimously agreed a resolution that commits salt producers to achieving universal salt iodisation by the end of the year 2000, with UNICEF and other international agencies agreeing to provide technical and financial support to this effort.
With this resolution in place, and with a strong partner like Kiwanis International to help, I believe that the year 2000 goal of universal salt iodization can be achieved in this region. Much remains to be done, but I know that if we work together, we can help national governments and salt producers to ensure that the whole of Europe is free of IDD.
UNICEF’s long and rewarding association with Kiwanis International has taught us a great deal about Kiwanians, and I know that every one of you is ready to face challenges in order to make the world a better place for children. I am asking you now to go the final mile with us in making IDD a part of Europe’s history, not it’s future. We cannot do it without you.Yours sincerely,

Carol Bellamy,
Executive Director

The World then…
Global prevalence of IDD (circa 1990)

The World now…
Percentage of households(1998)

Kiwanis is ‘Serving the Children of the World’ by eliminating Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD)

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable mental retardation and brain damage in the world. When the goiter rate in school children is 10%, cognitive capacity is more than 10% lower in he whole population. Iodized salt provides populations with safe, affordable and acceptable protection against this retardation of intellect. Iodine Deficiency is a serious threat to intellectual and economic potential of the whole nation.
In Iodine Deficient populations school performance in children decreases 10-15%.

“ Iodine Deficiency Disorders constitute the single greatest cause of preventable brain damage in the fetus and infant, and retarded psychomotor development in young children. When elimination of IDD is achieved it will be a major and total public health triumph, ranking with small pox and poliomyelitis.”
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director of the World Health Organization 1999

What has been the most affective measure for eliminating IDD?

• Salt is consumed by everyone in roughly equal amounts throughout the year.
• Addition of iodate to salt does not give any unusual taste or smell to salt
• Salt iodization technology is available at reasonable cost.
• Iodization does not significantly increase price of salt.
• Quality of iodized salt can be monitored on production, retail and household levels.

Universal salt iodization has been adopted by UNICEF, WHO and ICCIDD as the public health measure for eliminating IDD safely and at low cost.

Current status of household consumption of iodized salt:

Worldwide: 130 countries with IDD and the percentage of households consuming iodized salt is 68%.
In Europe: 32 countries with IDD and the percentage of households consuming iodized salt is 27%.

Why is Europe lagging behind?

• Lack of political will: insufficient legislation and lack of capacity for enforcing legislation.
• Consumer resistance: low awareness due to poor communication on the importance of IDD.
• Weak monitoring systems.
• Different requirements for iodized salt in different countries.
• Failure to produce iodized salt for animals.
• Problems with procurement of potassium Iodine.