May 15, 2024 is the 31st "Iodine Deficiency Disease Prevention and Treatment Day" of China. This theme of this year is "Iodized salt to prevent diseases and promoting balanced nutrition and health." The Beijing Municipal Health Commission and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention organize various district health commissions (and bureaus of disease control and prevention) and the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, focusing on publicity theme, to bring iodine nutrition knowledge to communities, hospitals, and campuses, and carry out various publicity activities for key groups such as pregnant women and women of childbearing age and children.

An on-site publicity event was held in Chaoyang District on May 15. The event aimed to popularize the knowledge of scientific iodine supplementation to the public through expert interviews, the release of popular science picture books, and the display of iodized salt and iodine-containing foods. Students from the primary school affiliated with the Chaoyang District Education Science Research Institute carried out stage plays, mini debates and other forms of activities, vividly reproducing the importance of iodine in preventing diseases and balancing nutrition. The event will be broadcast live online to further expand the scope of publicity. The on-site activities also sponsored by the health, disease control, education, and other departments of Chaoyang District, as well as the local streets and municipal CDC, China Salt Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Salt Industry Co., Ltd., Beijing Preventive Medicine Association, and other units.

Iodine is an essential micronutrient for human metabolism, growth, and development. Consuming iodized salt is the simplest, safest, and most effective way to prevent iodine deficiency diseases. We also call on the citizens to establish the correct concept of scientific iodine supplementation and continue to consolidate the results in the prevention and treatment of iodine deficiency diseases in Beijing.