The representative in the DR of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) told health reporters yesterday that children in the Dominican Republic suffer serious deficiencies in several important micronutrients. Dr. Osvaldo Legén said that 70% of school children between the ages of six and fourteen years of age demonstrate iodine deficiency. Half of Dominican children between the ages of ten and fourteen show low hemoglobin levels (indicative of low iron levels), and 23% of Dominican children between the ages of one and four are deficient in vitamin A. He warned that iodine deficiency contributes to infant mortality and neonatal deaths, and affects the mental development of the child. He reiterated UNICEF’s past call for the DR to make all salt sold in the country to be fortified with iodine. He said that flour and meals can be fortified with iron and sugar with vitamin A.
