Attachments
Preface
Given the importance of micronutrients, especially vitamin A, iron, iodine and recently zinc, their persistent deficiencies remain a significant public health problem in Nigeria, thereby making every strategy for health, education and prosperity an uphill struggle. This is despite the fact that the world has collectively promised to make real headway on issues including child mortality, maternal deaths, low education rates, poverty and inequality by 2015.
The implementation and coordination of effective intervention and programs to eliminate or reduce the prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiencies in populations requires a wide array of interventions directed towards ensuring high coverage. To achieve this, Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) in 2005 developed and approved the National Guidelines for Micronutrients Deficiency Control to guide the smooth and uniform operation of programme implementation in the country by various stakeholders. The guidelines have since been operationalized to a different extent in the key strategic areas of supplementation, fortification and dietary diversification; and with different degrees of progress.
Despite the remarkable progress made, significant risks to the micronutrient deficiencies control program in Nigeria remain. The challenges posed by the inability of the program to reach the target groups can severely reduce the effectiveness of the program. FMOH is committed to ensuring adequate nutrition and health for all; and in doing so, it is open to dynamic innovation, aimed at improving diet quality of nutritionally vulnerable groups, such as infants, young children, adolescent, women of child-bearing age (WCBA), pregnant women, and the elderly at affordable price.
Therefore, the current global drive towards promoting strategies for addressing micronutrient deficiencies at the household level prompted the revision of this guideline to include home fortification with multiple supplement and biofortification. In lieu of this, Chapter 5 has been added to this document to address the concept of home fortification which comes in the form of micronutrient powder to complement existing channels for controlling micronutrient deficiencies in Nigeria.
It is my sincere hope that these guidelines will be useful for all stakeholders including the health community, development agencies, research and academics, NGOs, and the general public.
Professor.C.O Onyebuchi Chukwu
Honourable Minister of Health
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Abuja
2013.