Posted on in Uncategorized

Dengue deaths in Barbados still concerning officials

 

 

Health authorities in Barbados have renewed their call for public vigilance following at least one death linked to the dreaded dengue fever this year.

A recent release issued by the Ministry of Health has revealed that over the first nine weeks of this year, 135 cases of dengue fever were confirmed by laboratory testing and one death was recorded.

The ministry also revealed that 570 cases of dengue fever and four deaths were recorded in 2010. This compares to 2008, when during the first nine weeks of the year, two deaths were verified and 212 cases were documented, following an epidemic in 2007.

In an effort to control the spread of dengue fever, the Ministry of Health has urged Barbadians to guard against contracting the illness or harbouring mosquitoes on their premises.

Read the complete article via Dengue deaths in Barbados still concerning officials – Caribbean360.

Posted on in Uncategorized

Music Mondays: T.O.K’s ‘Footprints’ addresses youth violence

“‘Hurry up and come back’, was the first thing she said to her son the day his life was taken…” “Footprints” starts out with the harrowing act of youth violence…the sad image of a mother sending her son off only to not have him return. This seems to be commonplace in our society.

This song is one of the most powerful of the last decade and I remember it being in heavy rotation around the Caribbean region when it first came out. What I do not remember is any major discussion about it’s message. Rising youth violence and crime is not just an individual issue, it is a population issue and has implications for population health.

During my time in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I saw many funerals for young people killed by the barrel of  a gun or the blades of a knife. I have two very young cousins who are growing up without fathers because of this violence. I know of a family in constant pain because of the choices of one child. Almost every day, there are news stories from across the region of youth committing violent acts against one another…of youth deaths…premature deaths.

I remember a few years ago, there was a case in Antigua where a (Black) young man allegedly killed a (White, foreign) young woman while she was on vacation. The news reports–and the online comments below the report–worked to demonize the young man as a ‘no-good’ foreigner whose sole goal in life was to bring negative attention to the island. Among those comments were a few dissenting voices–some knowing the conditions under which he grew up–questioned the system that seeks to limit options for immigrant children. Someone went as far as to say that the young man had spent much to his formative years in Antigua, and therefore much of his socialization occurred there; so to paint him as a foreigner is to direct attention to the wrong issues.

He would be considered one of the many at-risk young people around the region today, having many of the risk factors associated with rising violence: poverty, lack of opportunities, no significant bonds with adults, lack of a connection with educational institutions, and the presence of cultural values that encourage and reinforce risky behavior. You see, as a society, we are quick to say that drugs and alcohol are the culprits. Yet we somehow fail to see that there are also underlying factors for drugs and alcohol use.

Just last week, Barbados hosted an inaugural working group on preventing crime by focusing on vulnerable youth and at-risk populations. Although held under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, there seems to be an active consciousness to thinking about violence as a public health issue. By the end of the meeting, there was greater emphasis on fighting “the scourge of youth violence where youths are disproportionately represented in the ranks of both victims and perpetrators of crime and violence in the Caribbean.” (See full article here.)

Like CBSI, there are many other initiatives attempting to research the issue of violence across the region and to implement viable interventions:

A few years ago, the Wellcome Trust started the ‘Fighting Back: tacking violence in the Caribbean’ project “to map the full extent of the problem and get to the heart of its possible causes.” The hope is to use the information gathered to design more effective intervention and prevention programs. More information can be found here.

The World Bank is also attempting to address this issue with their Toolkit for At-Risk Youths. You can read more about it here and here.

The IADB also has cases form various islands on developing protective factors and mitigating risk factors here.

Imagine, this post started while reflecting on a song; a song that details many of the risk factors for engaging if violence.

Posted on in Uncategorized

Caribbean Breast Cancer Rates Higher Than Normal

This news comes via CBS4 in Miami, who interviewed Dr. Judith Hurley about her research with breast cancer patients at the University of Miami. After observing that many of the women with breast cancer from the Bahamas was very young, she began to do research with oncologists in the Bahamas and came to this conclusion: “The women who had breast cancer in the Bahamas were younger than the women in the United States.”

Although the report says that with grants from the Komen for the Cure foundation, testing was expanded, it was unclear is this was only across the Bahamas or to Black Caribbean women in other areas. Needless to say, this research could have impact across the Caribbean and calls for more education, earlier diagnoses and access to treatment for anyone affected.

One of my grandmothers is a breast cancer survivor of close to 2o years. I remember hearing that she had to leave our island to get treatment at a facility in Barbados. To my understanding, she was in her early 40’s when diagnosed and today, she is living strong and healthy.

As Caribbean women, we bear a disproportionate burden of many cancers, chronic diseases and infectious diseases. Any progress towards eliminating those burdens should be noted.

To read more about the study and see a video clip, visit the website here.

 

Posted on in Uncategorized

Highlights of health news from around the region

PANCAP urged to do more to fight disease in region

(Jamaican Observer) — GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), which ended a two-day meeting here on Wednesday, has been urged to vigorously promote the cause of elimination of HIV as a public health threat in the Caribbean.

Guyana’s Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, who is also the chair of the PANCAP Executive Board said it was necessary to work towards a trajectory of long, healthy and productive lives for Caribbean citizens.

PANCAP, established in 2001, is the regional mechanism responsible for coordinating the Caribbean’s response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

Jamaicans making it difficult for gays to stay with one partner?

(Jamaica Observer) — ONE of the world’s leading bioethics publications, Developing World Bioethics Journal, says Jamaicans are making it difficult for men who have sex with men (MSM) to be monogamous. The publication also suggested that Health Minister Rudyard Spencer is unhappy with the fact that his government “continues to support legislation that contributes significantly to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS among MSM”.

Sport for Health launched in Grenada

(Caribbean News Now) — ST GEORGE’S, Grenada—Principals and sporting ambassadors from each of Grenada’s 22 secondary schools attended the launch of the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation’s (WINDREF) Sport for Health Program. 

A collaborative program between WINDREF, St George’s University, the Ministries of Sport and Health, and the Grenada National Olympic Committee, the goal is to help reduce the public health problem of chronic disease by increasing awareness and educating the public about delaying or preventing the onset of chronic disease by leading a healthier lifestyle.

Grenada gets funds for poverty reduction

(The Guardian, Trinidad) — ST GEORGE’S—The United Nations’ rural development agency is to co-finance a US$7.5-million project in Grenada designed to alleviate poverty in the Caribbean country, benefiting an estimated 12,000 members of poor communities on the main island and the isle of Carriacou. The UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide US$3 million in loan to the six-year Market Access and Rural Enterprise Development Programme to create jobs, improve market access and support rural micro-enterprise projects in 50 communities, according to an agreement signed in Rome between the Fund and Grenada’s government.

Ministry of Health hold consultation on strengthening the health system

(Dominica News Online) — The Ministry of Health convened the first in a series of consultations on “Strengthening the Health Systems and Engaging the Private Sector” on Thursday March 31, 2011, at the Garraway Hotel.

Stakeholders from both the Private and Health Sectors participated in the half day consultation to dialogue on priorities for technical assistance in health system strengthening and private sector engagement. They were to provide a rationale for improving the sustainability of HIV/AIDS programming and the health sector, and also to develop a framework for future collaboration between the health and private sectors

Commentary: Poor indoor air quality a potentially explosive health crisis in the Caribbean

(Caribbean News Now) — On the outside the sunny Caribbean is known for its hot balmy weather mediated by cool island breeze, creating a literal tropical paradise. On the inside lurks the real culprit—high humidity and temperatures and the ever present mildew.

Because our building designs, laws, regulations and building codes have not taken into consideration the combination of outdoor and indoor air quality, workers and employers are now forced into an unnecessary standoff. Consequently, the Caribbean is on the verge of a worsening trend of sick building syndrome (SBS) as workers in several islands threaten employers with labour action unless they take serious stock of the poor quality of indoor air in their workplaces.

Posted on in Uncategorized

Fresh outbreak of cholera in Haiti after heavy rains – AlertNet

 

CHOLERA outbreaks are on the rise again in Haiti following heavy rainfall in late March, warns children’s charity Plan UK.

According to Plan staff on the ground, mortality rates in some areas of the country are now as high as eight per cent and the situation is expected to worsen with the approaching cyclone season.

Haitians are particularly vulnerable at present, as many NGOs reduced their cholera response activities following the decline in infections during the recent dry season.

Plan Haiti’s Country Director John Chaloner warns that a strong and sustained NGO presence was still crucial in order to prevent further disaster in a country already ravaged by the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

“Time is of the essence with cholera, which can kill a person within hours if left untreated. The majority of people in Haiti live without proper sanitation facilities or access to clean water and so support for Plan Haiti’s cholera response activities is as important now as it ever was,” says Mr Chaloner.

According to Haiti’s Ministry of Health (MSPP), since last November over 267,000 people have been infected with the disease and the death toll has now reached 4,747.

Plan Haiti has installed Oral Rehydration Points and Cholera Treatment Units in areas across the country, in an effort to reach people living in camps or areas made inaccessible by damaged roads.

Young children are especially vulnerable to infection and Plan warned of an increasing need for safe drinking water and access to sanitation facilities, particularly in the North-eastern part of the country.

“Mobilising to fulfill children’s need for clean water and sanitation in Haiti continues to be one of our highest priorities,” said Heidi Reed, Plan Haiti’s Communications Manager.

Plan’s cholera prevention and treatment activities include the installation of water tanks in schools, the distribution of hygiene kits and the drilling of boreholes to provide communities with safe drinking water.

However, some areas of the country still lack health personnel and the situation is worsening in the western region, which has no health centres and limited access by road.

“The consensus among health experts is that cholera will never completely recede from Haiti, which is why Plan must integrate cholera into all of its education, community health, disaster risk reduction and youth participation programmes,” said Mr Chaloner.

“To reduce the impact and the spread of the cholera outbreak, all actors involved in the response should focus their attention on prevention. The Government of Haiti and donors should invest in the building of cost effective and efficient water networks in urban areas and water and sanitation facilities for rural areas to ensure adequate access to potable water.”

via Fresh outbreak of cholera in Haiti after heavy rains – AlertNet.