Tag: Caribbean

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Caribbean Health News Roundup

Global:

2.6 Million Babies Stillborn Worldwide

 (VOA News) — The World Health Organization estimates some 2.6 million stillbirths occurred worldwide in 2009, the overwhelming majority in developing countries.  This first comprehensive set of estimates appears as part of a series of articles on stillbirths published in the British medical journal, The Lancet. 

Every day, the World Health Organization reports more than 7,200 babies are stillborn – ninety-eight percent of them occur in low and middle-income countries.  But, WHO notes, high-income countries are not immune, with one in 320 babies stillborn.  WHO says this rate has changed little in the past decade.

Read More: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/health/26-Million-Babies-Are-Stillborn-Worldwide-119832454.html

Regional:

Regional health ministers meet in Guyana this week

(Jamaica Observer) — Caribbean Community (Caricom) health ministers meet here later this week to discuss a number of issues, including three areas that regional leaders want included in a document for a high-level meeting of the United Nations on chronic non-communicable diseases in September.

 A Caricom Secretariat statement said that the April 15 -16 meeting will discuss the region’s continued fight against non-communicable diseases (NDCs) and review the progress made in implementing the 15-point Port-of-Spain Declaration, “Uniting to Stop Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases”.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Regional-health-ministers-meet-in-Guyana-this-week_8662341#ixzz1JYUcLWiM

British Virgin Islands:

Chickenpox outbreak reported in British Virgin Islands

(Caribbean News Now) — The British Virgin Islands Ministry of Health and Social Development has reported that there has been a marked increase of the number of cases of chickenpox reported in the territory. Residents have been urged to seek information about the varicella zoster virus, commonly known as chickenpox, and how it can be prevented.

According to the Chief Medical Officer, Irad Potter, the Health Surveillance Unit received reports of 33 cases of chickenpox for the period March 5 to March 25.

Read More: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Chickenpox-outbreak-reported-in-British-Virgin-Islands-5980.html

Dominica:

Kalinago Council signs health MOU with government

(Dominica News Online) — The Kalinago Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with government for the commencement of service at a medical facility in the Kalinago Territory.

Kalinago residents say they are concerned about the medical facility that was built several years ago but had remained vacant and unused.

Kalinago Chief Garnet Joseph said once the facility is operational, it will solve several problems faced in accessing health care in the community.

Read More: http://dominicanewsonline.com/dno/kalinago-council-signs-health-mou-with-government/

Opening of children’s home a landmark achievement – PM

(Dominica News Online) Prime Minister Skerrit said the official opening of CHANCES, a place for safety for children at risk, is a landmark achievement in government’s mission to eradicate poverty among the country’s children and youth.

The government of Dominica in collaboration with the United Kingdom-based Children’s Charity Action, today officially opened the $3.9 million facility at Chance in Jimmit.

Skerrit said, “the greatest of a nation is to be judged, not by the number of millionaires it generates, important as it is, but by the care it provides to vulnerable, disadvantaged and abused citizens”.

Read More: http://dominicanewsonline.com/dno/opening-of-childrens-home-a-landmark-achievement-pm/

Haiti:

Dubai Cares’ on-going primary education programs in Haiti reaching over 200,000 beneficiaries

(WAM) — Apart from developing and funding a number of primary education programs in developing countries, Dubai Cares is currently conducting follow-up visits to beneficiary countries to monitor and evaluate first-hand the progress of all its programs.

Spread across 24 countries worldwide, the UAE-based philanthropic organization’s primary education programs represent its contribution to UN Millennium Development Goal 2 of achieving universal primary education.

Read More: http://wam.org.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1289993070562&p=1135099400295&pagename=WAM%2FWamLocEnews%2FW-T-LEN-FullNews

Jamaica:

Bright Smiles For Dental Chairs

(Jamaica Gleaner) –The drive to promote improved public oral health care got a major boost on Tuesday with the donation of 25 state-of-the-art dental chairs with a combined value of US$135,375 (J$12 million) to the Ministry of Health by Food For The Poor.

There is a serious need for equipment and supplies for the public dental programme coordinated by Government, and critical among these are dental chairs, without which practitioners cannot properly examine patients. For this reason, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer described the donation as timely, in light of the Government’s commitment to place more focus on dental health service for the upcoming financial year.

Read More: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110413/lead/lead7.html

Trinidad:

US Air Force medics serve locals

(Trinidad Guardian) — Dental services was in high demand at the $12 million public health clinic set up at the Cumuto Defence Force Barracks to serve residents and environs of the rural community. The two-day joint venture—in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the United States Air Force—attracted both young and old eagerly awaiting the free medical services being offered. In true army style, medical services are being conducted under five large tents, which includes an intensive care and paediatric unit, operating theatre and dental clinic. Commander of the US Expedition Medical Support Hospital Scott Russi said the aim of the clinic was to provide consultation and primary health care service to nationals.

Read More: http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/04/10/us-air-force-medics-serve-locals

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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.

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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.

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Music Mondays: Romain Virgo’s “Taking you home” & Tarrus Riley’s “Start a new”

This double feature is courtesy of JamaicanDiaspora’s youtube page and address the pervasive issue of Intimate Partner Violence.

 

Various studies has shown the rise in DV across the region. Research from World Bank revealed the region having a higher rate of sexual violence than the world average. Additionally, ” Approximately 30% of women surveyed in Trinidad & Tobago experienced domestic violence; 67% of women in Suriname have experienced violence in a cohabiting relationship and 30% of adult women in Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados have experienced some form of domestic abuse.”

Violence against women, and indeed any kind of domestic violence (including against men) has no place in society.

Visit UN’s UNiTE to end violence against women to learn more: http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/

See also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2004/03/040308_domestic-violence.shtml

and CWHA: http://www.cwha.org/services.php?a=violence

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HCC’s Salt Reduction Campaign

I recently read an article on how the many observation days set aside for HIV awareness across the U.S. (this week was Native American HIV Awareness Day) may indeed dilute any comprehensive message on ending the epidemic. The various observation days this week made me think of that article. Between March 20th and 27th there are World Water Day, World TB Day and the entire week devoted to Salt Awareness. Now, the latter I had not heard off until visiting the Healthy Caribbean Coalition Website.

The focus on this year’s World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) is on Salt and Men’s health. Why men’s health? Because of a UK study noting that “more men prematurely die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than women.  CVD accounts for 29% preventable deaths in men (compared to 21% in women).  The research shows that men eat more salt than women and on average have a higher blood pressure than women, particularly at a younger age, and are less likely to have their blood pressure measured, to take action to reduce it when it is raised or to take blood pressure lowering drugs.”

And, thus, HCC’s Salt Reduction Campaign.

As an aside, I’m interested in the evaluation of such a campaign. So, if there is someone working on evaluating this campaign or other health communication/health promotion campaigns in the region, please let me know by leaving a comment below.