The Pakistani Health Ministry has launched a program to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to gather statistics on iodized salt in the country, according to The Tribune Express. The program received technical and financial support from The Micronutrient Initiative (MI president Venkatesh Mannar serves on the ICCIDD board).

"Ministry of Health’s National Program Manager of nutrition wing, Dr Baseer Khan Achakzai, said under the project, an easy-access interactive digital map identifying salt processors across all provinces of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir has been developed. The baseline data covers geographic locations, contact details and production of adequately iodized salt from 1,353 salt processors. Data will be collected from these sites every month, which will ensure accurate and valid reporting. The use of GIS will significantly reduce travel time and cost of data collection, he added.

"Dr Achakzai said that consumption of iodized salt is essential for people of all ages, especially for mothers and children under five years of age. Iodine deficiency in mothers can result in miscarriages and low birth weight of newborns. He said that children born with iodine deficiency suffer from low Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and congenital abnormalities like deafness, dumbness and stunted growth, among others."