Papua New Guinea
The challenge of reaching remote populations
In Papua New Guinea, surveys revealed high prevalence of iodine deficiency among school-age children in two districts of Simbu province, even revealing the presence of children with severe physical and intellectual impairment. These communities live in hard-to-reach areas without road access where systemic monitoring of iodine nutrition status was lacking.
IGN, in partnership with UNICEF, the government, and medical students from the University of Papua New Guinea, implemented a combination of interventions to address iodine deficiency in remote areas, including the distribution of iodine oil capsules in several provinces between 2020 and 2022.
In 2020, students from the Simbu Medical Student Association joined community health workers in distributing iodine capsules to children and women of childbearing age in one of the Simbu districts with high deficiency, reaching over 15,000 people and raising awareness about the use of iodized salt.
Impact
Distributed iodine capsules along with vitamin A supplementation and deworming tablets.
Reached 45,000 people in total.
Cost effective and efficient interventions
The distribution of iodine capsules was accompanied by other health interventions, including vitamin A supplementation and deworming tablets. The team also conducted surveys on availability of salt and awareness of the importance of iodized salt in remote villages, which will support future efforts to reach remote populations.
Similar efforts took place in other remote provinces as well. The bundling of the interventions and the use of the opportunity to conduct surveys and assess children’s iodine status meant that the efforts in Papua New Guinea not only reached some 45,000 people in total but were as cost-effective as possible.
The program continues to work in getting iodized salt into households in every corner of the country and ensuring it remains iodized is the best way forward.
UNICEF Papua New Guinea
