Ho, Oct 5, GNA - Mr Roderick Daddey-Adjei, Volta and Eastern Regions Zonal Officer of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), has urged the media to reactivate their campaign to popularize consumption of iodated salt. Mr Daddey-Adjei said this at a seminar on the role of the media in promoting Universal Salt Iodisation (USI) in Ghana in Ho. "When mass media campaigns are combined with other strategic control programs there is positive response from consumers", he said. He said iodine deficiency leads to nutritional deficiencies manifested in reduced mental development, low intelligent quotient, stunted growth and goiter, thus undermining quality human resource development vital for national development.

Mr Daddey-Adjei said statistics showed that Ghana was able to attain only 74 percent household consumption of iodized salt by 2006 well below th= e national target of 90 percent by 2005. He said the shortfall of 16 percent was a serious deficit that must be made up quickly to forestall long term consequences for the country. Mr Daddey-Adjei appealed to the media to assist the FDB to sustain public education on the importance of iodized salt to their health and well-being.