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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

January 21-27 is Goiter Awareness week

By Jocelyn P. Alvarez


ZAMBOANGA CITY, 23 Jan. (PIA) - - January 21-27 is “Goiter Awareness Week” (GAW) as per  Presidential Proclamation 1188 issued on December 11, 2006 declaring every 4th week of January as GAW.

With this year’s theme, “Goiter Sugpuin, Isip Patalinuhin, Iodized Salt Gamitin.” the 7th GAW celebration focuses on enhancing public awareness on goiter and iodine deficiency disorders among Filipinos.

National Nutrition Council (NNC) Nutrition Program Coordinator Maria Del Pilar Pamela Tarroza called on stakeholders to support this annual celebration by drumbeating public awareness on Goiter and it’s prevention.

Tarroza also encouraged the public to include consumption of iodized salt as a way to prevent the disease.

 “Survey results of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute in 2008 have shown that Zamboanga Peninsula is one of the five regions where Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) is still prevalent while most of the regions in the country are found to have optimal iodine status,” Tarroza said.

“Universal Salt Iodization is the recommended strategy to eliminate IDD in the population but among household included in the survey, only 62.8% was tested positive for iodine in their salt,” Tarroza informed.

“Thus the need to intensify campaign for salt iodization,” she emphasized.

NNC is a member of the Philippine Thyroid Council, which spearhead the celebration of Goiter Awareness Week.
Goiter is the enlargement of the thyroid gland caused by Iodine Deficiency or a problem of imbalance in thyroid hormone production.

Tarroza said everyone’s participation in information dissemination and cooperation in the promotion of the use of iodized salt will greatly contribute in the efforts to eliminate IDD which is a common cause of preventable mental retardation and lost of IQ points in children impeding their learning ability.

Among the symptoms of goiter are an enlarged anterior neck region, difficulty in swallowing, difficulty in breathing, palpitations, heat/cold intolerance and fever. (FPG/JPA/PIA 9)