Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) is a major public health problem. Surveys conducted by the National Goitre Survey team of the Directorate General of Health Services during the past three decades have revealed a high prevalence of endemic goitre in different states. Out of a total of 267 districts surveyed till date, 226 have been reported to be endemic to iodine deficiency. A successful measure for the prevention of IDD is salt iodisation. The Salt department, Government of India has taken an intensive programme of production of iodised salt in the country. The production has increased from 1.5 lakh metric tonnes in 1984 to 40 lakh metric tonnes in 1996. To assess the impact of increased production of iodised salt on the availability of iodised salt at the beneficiary and trader level and also on the status of iodine deficiency, surveys were undertaken in selected districts of 10 states and 2 union territories of the country. These studies have been presented and discussed here.

Thalassaemia patients receiving repeated blood transfusions are vulnerable to transfusion related infections. HIV infection is the most life threatening of them all. Blood being the most efficient mode of transmission of HIV, increases the risk of infection even further. Although the National AIDS Control programme has laid down stringent rules regarding blood safety, it remained to be seen whether they were being followed meticulously especially in rural areas. The present study was conducted to identify the HIV status of multi-transfused thalassaemia patients attending hospital blood banks of rural Bengal. Only 3 (0.9%) of the 330 thalassaemia patients examined were found to be HIV positive. Although the situation has not reached alarming proportions, yet appropriate control measures must be adopted on a mass scale to prevent further spread of the world wide pandemic.