Goiter Awareness Week is observed every fourth week of January by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1188 signed on December 11, 2016 to increase cognizance on the prevention and control of goiters and other Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs). The Department of Health takes the lead on this nationwide observance.
Goiter is an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland, which causes the formation of lump located at the front of the neck. The lack of iodine in the diet results to IDDs affecting children and pregnant women as the highest risk population. Iodine is an essential element and component of thyroid hormones which is responsible for various metabolic activities in the body.
IDDs among pregnant women is associated with miscarriages, congenital problems and malformations among their newborns; in newborns and children, consequences of iodine deficiency lead to low birth weights, mental retardation, cretinism and failures in growth and development. On the otherhand, lack of iodine in the body among adults may experience goiter, hypothyroidism, lethargy, tiredness and cognitive impairment.
Simple goiters can be easily prevented at low cost by using iodized salt regularly and consumption of iodine-rich foods found in seafoods, dairy products, meats and eggs.
NNC XII supports this celebration and continuously embarking the campaign, reminding everyone to follow Kumainment No. 7 “Gumamit ng iodized salt”. NNC believes that special attention should be provided in the pregnant women and children as the most vulnerable groups to eliminate IDDs and its ill-effects as one of the public health concerns. (DPA/AMF)
References: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/goiter/symptoms-causes
https://www.longdom.org/open-access/iodine-deficiency-disorders-2167-7948-4-172.pdf
