WHO works with Member States and partners to prevent micronutrient deficiencies though a number of programmes and following the WHO 2016–2025 nutrition strategy. These programmes include iron and folic acid supplementation, high dose vitamin A supplementation, the promotion of breastfeeding, fortification of foods with micronutrients, and healthy, diverse diets containing foods naturally rich in vitamin and minerals. For example, salt iodization has helped reduce the rate of iodine deficiency around the world, while the fortification of wheat flour with iron and folic acid has helped reduce rates of anaemia and neural tube defects.
WHO collaborates with UN partners to disseminate global guidance on the assessment of micronutrient status and effective micronutrient interventions. These guidelines allow WHO and other agencies to better respond to populations affected by emergencies when micronutrient deficiencies are more common due to chronic and severe food insecurity
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by the body in very small amounts. However, their impact on a body’s health are critical, and deficiency in any of them can cause severe and even life-threatening conditions. They perform a range of functions, including enabling the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances needed for normal growth and development. Deficiencies in iron, vitamin A and iodine are the most common around the world, particularly in children and pregnant women. Low- and middle-income counties bear the disproportionate burden of micronutrient deficiencies.
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