Iodine In China Case Study

In 1993, the Chinese government launched the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Elimination Program. China bears the heaviest burden of iodine deficiency in the world. In 1995, 20% of children aged 8 to 10 showed signs of goiter. Some 400 million people in China were estimated to be at risk of iodine deficiency disorders, constituting 40% of the global total. Today, the global importance of the health condition is a range including goiter (enlarged thyroid), stillbirths, stunted growth, thyroid deficiency, and mental defects. China launched to eliminate iodine deficiency, with technical and financial assistance provided through the donor funded Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Project. The cost and cost effectiveness of salt with iodine costs approximately 2 to 7 cents per kilogram or less than 5% of the retail price of salt in most countries. The impact by 1999, iodize salt was reaching 94% of the country, up from 80% in 1995 and salt quality had improved.
The history of how China introduces iodized salt to prevent the multiple disabling disorders associated with iodine deficiencies represents one such program. The success determines the appropriateness of the technology, the political, and the financial support to start up.

The Chines government aligned social goals with the salt industry, and the health sector successfully built a commitment to eliminate iodine deficiency. Donor coordination was strong and effective, managed by the Chinese government and the donors themselves, and the major players offered mutual support across all activities. The Chinese government on all levels, made a firm and long standing commitment to eliminating iodine deficiency, allowing all sectors across the country’s to work together to achieve impressive