Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 20: Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar through its nodal department of Community Medicine (SPM) is conducting iodine deficiency disorders (goitre) survey among children in the age group of 6-12 years across 4 Kashmir districts.
The survey will be carried out within government and private schools in four districts of Kashmir which include Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kupwara and Shopian.
The GMC, Srinagar said that the teams from the Community Medicine department of GMC Srinagar shall be visiting 30 clusters, each covering 90 boys and girls in pre-puberty age groups, covering 2700 children per district.
“A total of 10800 children shall be enrolled in four districts in Kashmir.”
Every child enrolled in the study would be examined for any goitre-that is enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck as per classification by World Health Organization (WHO).
“In addition, salt samples shall be taken from every fifth enrolled child while urine sample will be collected from every tenth enrolled child to estimate iodine content is salt and urine respectively,” GMC said.
In this regard, the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir has already permitted the survey while addressing all concerned Chief Education Officers of respective districts for necessary cooperation and support.
The survey is financed under National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Program (NIDDCP) and was delayed due to the COVID pandemic which forced the closure of schools for almost two years.
GMC said that the training of field staff has been given by senior faculty from the Department of ENT, GMC Srinagar.
“This study would tell us about the prevalence of iodine deficiency among a vulnerable population of 6-12 years which has been addressed through universal iodization of edible salt decades back.”
Dr S. Muhammad Salim Khan, Professor and HOD, Community Medicine, GMC, Srinagar who’s is the principal investigator of the survey said that some population groups and strata are still found consuming rock salt which is devoid of iodine content thus making people vulnerable to iodine deficiency.
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