Ending Hidden Hunger

April 9, 2007

The video, Ending Hidden Hunger, describes what happened to people around the world that lack Micronutrients. These Micronutrients include: vitamin A, iron, and iodine. Many people were unaware of how serious the problem is. Lack of micronutrients causes problems to our immune system, growth failure, intellectual impairment, severe anemia, low birth weight, blindness and low work capacity. It targets different groups of people: pregnant women, young children, and the elderly. 

First, based on the video, there are 800,000,000 people who lack vitamin A. Lack of vitamin A causes severe night-blindness, easy-to-get measles, effects to our immune system, and children can even die. Vitamin A is in any fruits that are yellow or orange and in dark green leafy vegetables. These people usually live in dry desert places where their land is unable to grow vegetables. Since fruits are seasonal in many places, people are having difficulty accessing them. 

Second, there are 2,000,000,000 people in the world who have iron deficiency. Iron is the main element to improve oxygen capacity, which helps cells to generate energy. You can get iron from meats and beans, but from the reading it also said that you need vitamin C to absorb iron. Lack of iron can cause many problems, such as babies being born under weight, anemia, and fatigue in workers. Meats can be expensive in these rural countries. Many people couldn't afford it, and even if they can afford meat, it is no longer fresh and the iron may not be there anymore. 

Finally, there 1,000,000,000 people who lack Iodine. In the video, it said that throughout our life, we each need about 4 grams of iodine, which is not much. Iodine can be found in any seafood (crab, fish, shrimp, algae, etc.) or it can be found in land geographically. In many places, these lands ran out of iodine in their soil due to flood and heavy rainfall. Lack of iodine causes growth problems, especially for kids (pre-teens). Adults may incur thyroid gland problems, which causes fatigue. 

In order to reduce these deficiency disorders, worldwide programs have been implemented. Supplementation, fortification, dietary diversification, and public health measures are the strategies to reduce the micronutrients problem. UNICEF supports and promotes food and water fortification and iodized oil applications to help women, children and elderly in poor countries. It encourages people to consume these products to reduce micronutrient deficiency. The video said that we need to address to these people how important and serious micronutrients can be. In order to reduce micronutrient deficiency, we should educate people about fertility education, micronutrient malnutrition education, promote breast feeding to infant children, provide clean water, and supply immunizations. Due to people spreading all over the land, it's hard to distribute supplements. 

After viewing the video, I've learned a lot. Even though a person may look normal, but in fact they may lack in vitamin A, iron, or iodine. I was not aware how important these micronutrients are. I was very moved and thought of people in my country, Vietnam. Many children over there are in the same situation as the people in the video. It reminded me how lucky I am to be in this country. I will share this knowledge with friends and family.