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The paper summarizes the updated information published in peer review journals on the status of iodine deficiency in Western and Central Europe. Nationwide evaluations of the prevalence of goiter and of the concentrations of urinary iodine were conducted during recent years in 17 of the 31 countries of Western and Central Europe, mostly in school-aged children. Fourteen of the 31 countries had reached a normal status of iodine nutrition, three countries were close to iodine sufficiency, iodine deficiency persisted in 13 other countries and data are missing for Albania. The most important alterations of thyroid function due to iodine deficiency in Europe occur in neonates and very young infants. The major measure for the prevention of iodine deficiency is the fortification of all salt for human and animal consumption and for the food industry. The recommended daily intake of iodine for all ages in all inhabitants in Europe are as follows: 90 microg/day from 0 to 59 month, 120 microg/day between 6 and 12 years, 100 microg/day in adolescents and adults and 200 microg/day in pregnant and lactating women. The main guidelines for the correction of iodine deficiency in Europe are included.

Extensive programs of iodine supplementation by iodated salt have been implemented in Africa during the last decade. The present work evaluated their effectiveness in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Togo. A van equipped with a sonographic device visited 39 sites in the four countries. The prevalence of goiter was evaluated on the basis of the determination of thyroid volume by ultrasonography in 4,011 randomly selected 6- to 12-year-old schoolchildren of both sexes in the 39 sites. The concentration of urinary iodine was measured in 1,545 of these children. The iodine content of table salt collected at home by the children was measured by test kits in 3,202 salt samples, 415 of which were also analyzed by titration. Based on the results obtained by the kits, 83.7% to 97.9% of the salt samples contained iodine. However, the test kits had a low sensitivity and specificity in comparison with titration. The median urinary iodine was within an acceptable range (100-300 14 g/L) in the four countries, but almost one-third of the values were still below normal. The prevalence of goiter was normal (< 5%) in Benin and Togo, and it was 22.4% and 13.4%, respectively, in Burkina Faso and Mali. These results indicate marked improvement of the status of iodine nutrition in comparison with the situation reported only a few years ago in the same countries, but quality control of the iodine content of salt and monitoring of the iodine status of the populations need to be improved.