International Leadership on Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies

Background

The CDC provides leadership to the global community through its high level participation in numerous international organizations working to eliminate vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Examples of the groups and efforts in which the CDC participates include the following:

• The Network for Sustained Elimination of Iodine Deficiency works to accelerate the universal iodization of salt as a key strategy for ensuring adequate iodine nutrition.
• Every two years, the Micronutrient Forum provides the opportunity for professionals in micronutrient research and programs to share their expertise, insights, and experiences. The forum focuses on deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, folate, iodine, and zinc.
• Numerous international agencies have developed a Ten Year Strategy (TYS)* to identify actions that can help address vitamin and mineral deficiencies and provide a forum for interagency collaboration on scientific and programmatic issues.
• Various international agencies are jointly developing the Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency Global Report to be launched at the Micronutrient Forum in Beijing, China, in May 2009.

Status

Current CDC leadership activities include the following:

• Iodine Network
  The CDC contributes annual funding and attends the semiannual board meetings.
• Micronutrient Forum
  The CDC co-funds the forum and is on the program committee.
• Ten-Year Strategy
  The CDC is represented on the TYS Reference Group which serves as the overall steering committee. The CDC is also active in the following workgroups:
  • Monitoring, Assessment and Data Workgroup
  • Fortification Workgroup
  • Infant and Young Child Feeding Workgroup
• Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency Global Report
  The CDC serves both on the steering committee and in the working group developing the report.

Future Plans  

The CDC plans to continue its leadership role by participating in a variety of efforts designed to eliminate vitamin and mineral deficiencies as public health problems.

Partners

The CDC currently works with the following partners through this initiative:

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• United States Agency for International Development, Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project (USAID/A2Z)
• Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
• Micronutrient Initiative (MI)
• Numerous other organizations

---

* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.