“High risk of impaired neurological development of the fetus in Israel”

Ministry of Health supported research effort; now, eradicating iodine deficiency will require government funding and legislation, and a government-regulated program of salt or food iodization

The first national iodine survey conducted in Israel has revealed a high burden of iodine deficiency among Israelis, posing a high risk of maternal and fetal hypothyroidism and impaired neurological development of the fetus in Israel.

The International Child Development Steering Group has identified iodine deficiency (ID) as a key global risk factor for impaired child development, and the World Health Organization’s recommends routine monitoring of population-based data on urinary iodine every five years as a means of sustainable elimination of ID. Yet Israel is among the few countries that have never performed a national iodine survey, and does not provide iodine prophylaxis, even though some of its population has suffered from ID in the past. Israel similarly lacks current data on the incidence and prevalence of thyroid disease.