Goitre prevalence has come down from 34.3 per cent in the 1960s to 1 per cent recently in Nagaland, which falls under "areas of severest iodine deficiency", an official said.

This has been possible through concerted awareness efforts, State Programme Officer, National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland, Dr. Akuo Sorhie said. Nagaland is located in the sub-Himalayan belt and falls under areas of severest iodine deficiency, she said.

Iodine deficiency remains one of the most neglected and most widespread of all nutritional deficiencies in the sub-Himalayan areas, Dr Sorhie said. "Nagaland was declared as one of the Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) endemic states in India through a base line survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in early 1960s, where 34.3 per cent of goitre prevalence was recorded, she said.

A recent survey indicated that the prevalence rate has come down to about 1 per cent, Dr Sorhie said expressing hope that the effort by all the stakeholders would help the state in bringing down the prevalence rate of goitre to below one per cent by 2020. Goitre is a swelling of the neck resulting from enlargement of the thyroid gland and it commonly develops as a result of iodine deficiency or inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Dwelling on the theme 'Iodised salt, traders responsibilities,' she urged the salt traders to join the fight against IDDs asking them to sell only iodised salt for human consumption. Stating that iodised salt traders carry an important responsibility in ensuring universal consumption of iodised salt, Dr Sorhie asked them not to expose iodised salt bags to rain, high humidity, extreme heat or sunlight, dust and other conditions of contamination.

She asked them to buy iodised salt only from reputed and authorised iodised salt producers and also check the quality of iodised salt held in stock and be sure that it contained 15 parts per million (ppm) or above of iodine before releasing in the market. "You are the vital link between iodised salt producers and consumers. Safeguarding their health is in your hands," she told the salt traders.

The officer was speaking at a programme to mark the 'Global Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Day' on October 24. Chief Medical Officer, Kohima, Dr Ritu Thurr said that more than 20 crore people are at the risk of Iodine Deficiency Disorder in the country and about seven per cent of the population suffer from IDD.