Reaching optimal iodine nutrition in Pregnant and Lactating Women and Young Children

Overview

In 1994, a special session of the WHO and UNICEF Joint Committee on Health Policy recommended Universal Salt Iodization (USI) as a safe, cost-effective and sustainable strategy to ensure sufficient intake of iodine by all individuals. It also suggested that temporary iodine supplementation be considered in areas of severe iodine deficiency where USI cannot be rapidly implemented.

Based on new evidence and lessons learned within the last decade, it appears that the most susceptible groups - pregnant and lactating women, and children less than two years of age - might not be adequately covered by iodized salt where USI is not fully implemented. This situation may jeopardize the optimal brain development of the fetus and young child.

In order to address this issue, WHO convened a technical consultation on the prevention and control of iodine deficiency in pregnant and lactating women and in children less than two years of age. The consultation held on 24-26 January 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland, made recommendations to ensure optimum iodine nutrition among these groups (2). As a follow-up to the meeting, and in order to provide programmatic guidance to implement these recommendations within the country programme planning process, WHO and UNICEF held a joint meeting on 15-16 November 2005 at UNICEF Headquarters, New York, USA.

This statement presents the conclusions of the joint WHO/UNICEF meeting.