The country office of UN Children Fund (UNICEF) in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Peoples’ Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan is launching “Health Week” National informational campaign in all schools of the Republic from April 30th to May 7th . The campaign will be carried out within framework of activities devoted to the Year of Social Protection and implementation of the National Flour Fortification Program (Resolution of the President RUz #153, of August 11, 2005).

A press conference with participation of officials-representatives of Ministry of Peoples’ Education, Ministry of Health, AK “Uzdonmakhsulot”, UNICEF, World bank and other state institutions and NGOs will set a start to the campaign. The press conference will take place at 11 a.m., at school #195 of Tashkent City, May 1st , 2007 (“Chilonzor” metro station, Q-16, tel: 2763774).

Underscoring the importance of this campaign, Mr. Reza Khossaini, Head of UNICEF country office to Uzbekistan stated: “This campaign will provide both children and their parents with required knowledge and will create prerequisites to reduce risks for health of future generations. Children - is the group most exposed to risk and through appealing their parents to use iodized salt, bread and products of fortified flour, they can significantly reduce this risk. ”.

Informational campaign is targeted to increase raising awareness of more than 5 million school children and their parents on the benefits of fortified flour and iodized salt for healthy growth and successful school studies. The interactive training events, open classes, contests and quizzes will happen in all schools of Uzbekistan during the campaign. Children and their parents will learn about the causes of diseases related to iodine and iron deficiency in the organism, as well as easy ways of avoiding health problems, through consuming fortified food products.

A serious preparatory activities laid the foundation for the present campaign. The orientation meetings for officials of education system took place in all regions of the republic since the begging of the year. In the course of these workshops, almost one thousand five hundred experts and school principals received information on creation of favorable and secured environment for training children, as one of the major conditions for quality education. More than 4 million copies of various communication materials on the benefits of fortified flour and iodized salt for schoolchildren health and successful school studies have been printed out and disseminated among schools of the republic.

Some facts and data
• Percentage of newborns in the developing world unprotected from the lifelong consequences of brain damage associated with IDD: 37% million.
• Disorders caused by iodine deficiency may result in intellectual growth and development delay, which in its turn a cause for low school progress, impaired intellectual capabilities and low productivity.
• Around 71 % of households in the developing countries use iodized salt (1998 -2005).
• Iron deficiency in the organism deteriorates intellectual development of 40-60% of infants in developing countries.

• Iron deficiency in the organism causes anemia, the main cause of maternal and child mortality among children delivered by mothers with anemia; that results in 60,000 death cases among infants every year.





For further information, please contact:
Rustam Haydarov, Communication and Marketing Officer
UNICEF Uzbekistan
Khadicha Sulaimonoa St., 43
Tel: 133 95 112, 133 97 35, 380 34 12