The event was presided over by First Lady Raquel Arbaje, in her capacity as President of the Cabinet; Vice President Raquel Peña; the Ministers of Health, Dr. Daniel Rivera and Luis Miguel De Camps; the Director of the SNS, Dr. Mario Lama; and the Executive Director of Senasa, Dr. Santiago Hazim. The cochlear implant program for children with hearing impairments aims to reduce school dropout by facilitating language development at a young age. In its first stage, this project will respond to cases of hearing loss in boys and girls from low-income families that the first lady has received over the last two years, with the help of Senasa.

“From the moment I began to develop the idea, I found the support of many willing to join the cochlear implant program for the benefit, above all, of the boys and girls with the greatest social and economic disadvantages, who need us the most. That is why, with the help of many, they have a preferential place in all of our efforts to improve their quality of life,” Arbaje said. Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña, emphasized that the goal is for every kid born to have access to these services and care so that it never has to be because they meet an official who you will be attended to; that is the goal: to leave it institutionalized in the country.

Dr. Eddy Pérez-Then, the special adviser to Mispas, presented the initiative, explaining that the first two operations were performed in December on patients with profound severe hearing loss, whose experiences allow us to confirm that the program and its objectives are goals that are achievable, real, and have a significant impact in the Dominican health sector.

The Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos, welcomed the Japanese government’s initiative in a press release, saying that it strengthens bilateral relations and friendship between the two countries by promoting technical cooperation through the supply of equipment, machinery, and materials.

“We thank you, His Excellency Mr. Takagi Masahiro, for this act of generosity and solidarity with the Dominican people, because the patients of these hospitals will now have the best care and services,” he said. He stated that the delivery of these three tomographs will provide the necessary modernization for the aforementioned hospital centers to develop a more accurate and early diagnosis.

“Our goal with these actions is to be able to provide health care that focuses on the timely detection of diseases and thus can provide timely treatment, and this can only be developed through the improvement and training of new equipment,” the official said. He assured that the healthcare system is evolving to improve quality, accessibility, and efficiency.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Tuesday announced that Guyana’s health care professionals would soon be able conduct diagnosis remotely. He also told the National Assembly that 1,000 nurses would be trained this year and 1,000 Guyanese would receive hearing aids free of cost on top of the 500 that were provided with those devices ...

SOURCE: Reuters – The U.S. health regulator on Monday proposed one dose of the latest updated COVID-19 shot annually for healthy adults, similar to the influenza immunization campaign, as it aims to simplify the country’s COVID-vaccine strategy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also asked its panel of external advisers to consider the usage of two COVID vaccine shots a year for some young children, older adults and persons with compromised immunity. The regulator proposed the need for routine selection of variants for updating the vaccine, similar to the way strains for flu vaccines are changed annually, in briefing documents ahead of a meeting of its panel on Thursday.

The FDA hopes annual immunization schedules may contribute to less complicated vaccine deployment and fewer vaccine administration errors, leading to improved vaccine coverage rates. The agency’s proposal was on expected lines, following its announcement of its intention for the update last month.

The Biden administration has also been planning for a campaign of vaccine boosters every fall season.

Currently, most people in the United States need to first get two doses of the original COVID vaccine spaced at least three to four weeks apart, depending on the vaccine, followed by a booster dose a few months later.

Pfizer’s primary vaccine doses for children and people involve three shots, with the third a bivalent shot given about two months later.

If the panel votes in favor of the proposal, Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) bivalent vaccines, which target both the Omicron and the original variants, would be used for all COVID vaccine doses, and not just as boosters.

The post U.S. FDA proposes shift to annual COVID vaccine shots appeared first on Barbados Today.

This processor was closed because it lacked the corresponding health records issued by that vice-ministry.

Furthermore, pseudomonas, a type of bacteria that frequently causes severe infections in humans, was detected in the processed water tests, as well as unsanitary conditions and a lack of heating.

Concerning the cholera disease, the Ministry of Public Health advises the public not to be alarmed, to pay attention to official reports, and to practice preventative measures such as frequent hand washing and food washing.

View the full post Dangers of consuming excessive amounts of added sugar on NOW Grenada.

The remaining four cases are imported and pertain to Haitian nationals, two men aged 47 and 31, a woman aged 72, and a 9-year-old girl.

There are 31 confirmed positive cases of the disease in the country, in addition to these six. The patients were admitted between January 18 and 20, according to a press release, after presenting with whitish watery diarrhea and vomiting. “When they were treated at the health center, they were hydrated and stabilized before proceeding immediately to take stool samples, which turned out to be positive for cholera this Sunday,” according to the Ministry of Health.

He adds that the medical report confirms that the patients have been without bowel movements for more than 24 hours, that they are stable and in good spirits, and that they will be discharged in the next few hours.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Nearly four months after its reappearance in Haiti, the number of cholera victims has risen to 496 dead, the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) reported Saturday.

The country has already registered 25,182 suspected cases and 21,407 hospitalized, 73 new, while 312 of the 496 deaths occurred in health institutions and 184 in the communities.

In a bulletin, the health authorities state that the average age of those infected is 19 years, and the positivity rate is 37.25%.

56.60% of the accumulated suspected cases are men, and the remaining are women. The most affected age group is 1 to 4 years old, with 374 confirmed cases out of more than 3,000 suspected cases.

The most affected department is the West, where Port-au-Prince is located and where more than one-third of the population lives, with 1,155 confirmed cases for 16,408 suspected cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned last week that the world is suffering unprecedented cholera outbreaks in countries affected by climate disasters and other crises. As a result, vaccines to prevent this disease have become “extremely scarce.”

During the meeting, the president of the Health Cabinet also evaluated the implementation of the “Malaria Elimination Strategy” carried out by the technical team of epidemiologists of the San Juan Provincial Health Directorate and presented by Dr. Rosa Alvino, focused on projecting and reinforcing strategies that can reduce the indicators of the disease.

“Today we are here to kick off a strategic program carried out by epidemiological team, since this province has the highest number of cases registered in the country; no one has died from the disease, but we have to focus on reducing cases,” the official said.

He suggested visiting the transmission centers two or three times a week to keep control of the situation and continue with the prevention strategies in the area, “it is very important to work on the operational part, taking into account the specific points of transmission, we have to go to the field where the active focus is,” he recommended.

Before the meeting, Dr. Rivera visited the facilities of the company Maguana Tropical, where he spoke with its production manager, Edwin Ordas, about the safety and hygiene measures that are being carried out to prevent malaria, cholera, and other diseases.

He also held a meeting with the director of the Centro Universitario Regional Oeste Curo- UASD, Carlos Manuel Sánchez, with whom he discussed health issues and analyzed the support to students of different careers in the prevention of viral diseases and other types of operations carried out by the Provincial Health Office.

He also went to the call of the bishop, Monsignor Tomas Concepción of the church Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana, along with the priest Pedro Pablo Mateo, to agree to expedite the process of requesting medicines; so that they arrive on time when requested by the episcopate.

“Those processes can be expedited through Habilitation and Accreditation; it is neither difficult nor impossible; besides, for us, the church should always be given priority,” concluded Dr. Rivera.

Santo Domingo
This Friday, another person died in the Villa Liberación sector, in El Almirante, Santo Domingo East, presumably from cholera, but laboratory tests will be needed to confirm this.

This death occurs amid the concern generated in this sector by the spread of cholera, which according to community members, has left at least five dead.

At least six cases have been confirmed, and others are awaiting test results.

The Public Health authorities intervened in the sector to stop the disease, installing a mobile hospital in the Center for Diagnosis and Primary Attention of the Villa Liberation sector to treat suspected cases.

Among the actions they carry out is searching for suspected cases to provide immediate Attention. In addition, they have asked those with diarrheal symptoms not to waste time and seek assistance.

Since the first case of cholera was registered in the country, following the increase in cases in Haiti, the authorities have set up a cordon in La Zurza, Capotillo, and other sectors near the banks of the Isabela River, where the presence of the bacteria that causes cholera has been confirmed.

The Ministry of Public Health and the Santo Domingo Water and Sewage Corporation (Caasd), among other government institutions, are involved in the actions.