SOURCE: AP — The Albert Einstein hospital says Brazilian soccer great Pele is responding well to treatment for a respiratory infection and his health condition has not worsened over the latest 24 hours.

The 82-year-old Pele has been at the hospital since Tuesday.

Get well messages have poured in from around the world for the three-time World Cup winner as he also undergoes cancer treatment.

Pele’s daughter posted several pictures on Instagram from Brazil fans in Qatar wishing her father well with flags and banners.

Buildings in the Middle Eastern nation also displayed messages in support of the former soccer great.

The post Pele responding well to treatment for respiratory infection appeared first on Barbados Today.

Santo Domingo
Of the 475,000 doses of influenza vaccine acquired by the State to be given free of charge to high-risk groups, 194,568 people have been vaccinated to date, revealed the director of Immunopreventable by Vaccines, Dr. Lucia Vargas.

Dr. Lucia Vargas said that this vaccine is available in 428 authorized posts. They can also receive the vaccine against Covid-19 to complete their schedules and better protect them against the new circulating subvariants.

She explained that up to mid-week, 16,132,440 COVID-19 vaccines have been applied in the population, corresponding to the first dose, 7,295,993; to the second 6,065,999; to the third, 2 499,887 and with the fourth dose 270, 561 doses.

The director of Immunoprevenibles said that 901,255 people only received the first dose and did not receive the second dose, and that of those who received the double dose, 2,861,622 have not yet received the third dose, for which she urged to complete the scheme.

He urged the population to continue with the vaccination process to be immunized and reduce the effects that may be caused by the different variants that are circulating, which arise due to the non-immunization of the population.

He reminded that the program has 428 vaccinations against Covid and that the country has the Pfizer vaccine for children from 12 to 17 years old and the Sinovac vaccine for children from 5 to 11 years old.

Vargas reminded that the country has availability of the yellow fever vaccine, which is a requirement requested by countries where the disease is endemic, and that 10 thousand new doses are expected to be distributed in the different posts and centers established and to increase the capacity.

In turn, the Vice-Minister of Collective Health, Dr. Eladio Pérez, informed that, during the National Vaccination Day against Rabies, directed by the Center for Prevention and Control of Diseases Transmissible by Vectors and Zoonosis, a total of 162,315 animals were immunized, of which 126,353 were dogs, and 35,962 were cats, to establish an epidemiological blockade to reduce the risks of spreading the virus that causes this disease.

The day will be extended for a few more weeks, so they called on the population to bring their pets to be vaccinated to the provincial health directorates.

Testing posts

The deputy minister of Collective Health of the Ministry of Public Health said that the demand for laboratory tests to diagnose Covid-19 has increased in public and private centers and that the country has sufficient supplies.

Santo Domingo
Of the 475,000 doses of influenza vaccine acquired by the State to be given free of charge to high-risk groups, 194,568 people have been vaccinated to date, revealed the director of Immunopreventable by Vaccines, Dr. Lucia Vargas.

Dr. Lucia Vargas said that this vaccine is available in 428 authorized posts. They can also receive the vaccine against Covid-19 to complete their schedules and better protect them against the new circulating subvariants.

She explained that up to mid-week, 16,132,440 COVID-19 vaccines had been applied in the population, corresponding to the first dose, 7,295,993; to the second, 6,065,999; to the third 2, 499,887 and the fourth dose 270, 561 doses.

The director of Immunoprevenibles said that 901,255 people only received the first dose and did not receive the second dose, and that of those who received the double dose, 2,861,622 have not yet received the third dose, for which she urged to complete the scheme.

He urged the population to continue with the vaccination process to be immunized and reduce the effects that may be caused by the different variants that are circulating, which arise due to the non-immunization of the population.

He reminded that the program has 428 vaccinations against Covid and that the country has the Pfizer vaccine for children from 12 to 17 years old and the Sinovac vaccine for children from 5 to 11 years old.

Vargas reminded that the country has availability of the yellow fever vaccine, which is a requirement requested by countries where the disease is endemic, and that 10 thousand new doses are expected to be distributed in the different posts and centers established and to increase the capacity.

In turn, the Vice-Minister of Collective Health, Dr. Eladio Pérez, informed that, during the National Vaccination Day against Rabies, directed by the Center for Prevention and Control of Diseases Transmissible by Vectors and Zoonosis, a total of 162,315 animals were immunized, of which 126,353 were dogs, and 35,962 were cats, to establish an epidemiological blockade to reduce the risks of spreading the virus that causes this disease.

The day will be extended for a few more weeks, so they called on the population to bring their pets to be vaccinated to the provincial health directorates.

Testing posts

The deputy minister of Collective Health of the Ministry of Public Health said that the demand for laboratory tests to diagnose Covid-19 has increased in public and private centers and that the country has sufficient supplies.

In recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1, the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO in Warrens, hosted a special display hoping to raise the level of education about the disease among its clientele.

Speaking to the press on Thursday, Deputy Registrar at CAIPO, Joyann Catwell, said the department wanted to share important and relevant information with all its “shareholders”.

“These are persons who have come to incorporate companies and to register businesses names, we are here to tell them a little bit about AIDS, and in addition to that, we are also here to inform them about beneficial ownership as per our international obligations.”

She explained, “Today at corporate affairs we have our information booth corner, we have a table with leaflets on HIV/AIDS, we also have our condom corner and throughout the day there will prizes and giveaways.”

CAIPO is responsible for the administration of Barbados’ Intellectual Property Rights and advises the Ministry of International Business and Industry on the technical and policy issues which underlie Barbados’ Intellectual Property Rights regime.  

(SB)

The post CAIPO shares HIV/AIDS awareness message appeared first on Barbados Today.

As a result, the National Police launched an extensive investigation into the poisoning suffered by the educators, prompting the educational district 13-02 to suspend classes until next Monday to disinfect the facility and environment, according to the center’s director. Isabel Veras is an educator.

The Ministry of Public Health was able to determine that the cause of the poisoning was herbicide, which occurred after the teachers inhaled a highly toxic substance sprayed on the campus. “We were able to contact a person who lives in front of the school, and he showed us the container in which the herbicide was supplied, which is a burner for cleaning a patio,” a source close to the investigation said.

A woman who lives near the school would have sprayed this liquid to kill the herbs in her yard, but according to the epidemiologist in charge of the Montecristi health province, she sprayed more than the recommended amount, and with the arrival of the wind, the substance entered the school and caused the poisoning. So far, 15 people, including teachers and children, have been taken to the hospital with poisoning symptoms.

The National Police are expected to look into the situation further so that the person responsible can be brought to justice if necessary.

The rise in cases is primarily due to two factors, lamented this community health specialist on World AIDS Day this Thursday: The lack of fuel paralyzed Haiti, preventing patients from attending medical appointments, and insecurity prevented people living in the so-called “red zones” from visiting health centers to receive care.

According to the most recent Ministry of Public Health and Population data, there are approximately 150,000 people in Haiti living with HIV/AIDS, 145,000 of who are adults and 5,700 of whom are children. 85% of those infected with the virus are aware of their situation, and 90% are receiving treatment. In 2021, 4,300 people became infected with HIV and 1,500 died from AIDS-related illnesses, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 217,000 since the outbreak began.

Women account for 59% of those living with HIV, making them the most vulnerable to the disease due to factors such as higher poverty, more visits to health centers than men, greater vulnerability, and a lack of economic and financial autonomy. According to health officials, approximately 133,000 people have active access to antiretrovirals, to eradicate the disease in Haiti by 2030.

They also recommend following the recommended guidelines for hand washing, hygiene, distance, and vaccination schedule completion.

The Ministry of Public Health has never withdrawn its recommendation for the use of masks, according to Eladio Pérez, Deputy Minister of Collective Health, and Ronald Skewes, Director of Epidemiology, but it is not mandatory, but rather a voluntary and personal decision on self-care.

Pérez recalled that the mask and vaccination are the most effective Covid-19 prevention measures. The epidemiology specialist stressed the importance of wearing masks when visiting the elderly to avoid infecting them. He believes that the virus’s behavior indicates that it will continue to circulate in the population for a long time, with peaks at certain times of the year due to an accumulation of susceptible people, as occurs with influenza.

View the full post Celebrating US–Eastern Caribbean Partnership to tackle HIV/AIDS on NOW Grenada.

Nine months after a promise that they would once more get a Government stipend to ease the financial burden of full time study, student nurses are yet to receive the money.

And the Barbados Nurses’ Association (BNA), management of the Barbados Community College (BCC) and student nurses themselves are hoping that the current administration will make good on its promise.

Last February, Minister of Health and Wellness Ian Gooding-Edghill announced that Government would re-introduce the stipend some eight years after it was stopped and at a cost to taxpayers of $2 million annually.

On Monday following a scholarship award ceremony at the college, members of the nursing community renewed the call for the financial help.

“Since 2017, we have been advocating as the Barbados Nurses’ Association for the stipend to recommence to nursing students so that it could assist them with their studies. Leaving school and coming to study is hard; they have to travel to different health institutions as part of their studies.

“Also, the books and the materials that you have to acquire when you want to be a nurse are not cheap. We were told that it would be reinstated so we are waiting for the stipend to be reinstated to the nursing students of all years,”said president of the BNA Valerie Francis-Miller.

Deputy principal of BCC Dr Cheryl Weekes said the campus had already submitted the necessary information to start the process.

She too conceded that it was difficult being a student nurse since the financial requirements of the study could put strain on them.

“What I can say from the college’s standpoint is that the ministry has indeed been in touch with us and we have provided the necessary information in terms of the names of the students and the information they require in order to process the stipend. We are thankful that this is going to be reinstated because we know that it will go a long way to help the students in their profession reaching that level,” she said.

“Being a student and studying nursing is very difficult. It is not an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. kind of study programme in the sense that the students have to do clinicals and those clinicals can run till 9 p.m. because they try to work to shifts.

“It is difficult for a student to be here full time going into the clinical area and then working another job unable to sustain themselves.”

In February, Gooding-Edghill said in a press statement that first-year nursing students would be paid a stipend of $458.89 per month; second-years $578.53; third-years $698.16 and fourth-years $798.16.

To maintain the stipend, the nursing students would be required to maintain passing grades for all courses according to the criteria set by the BCC. They would also be placed on a two-year Government performance bond after completion of their four-year nursing degree.

The minister said he hoped the stipend would take pressure off the students and their families and lead to an increase in the number of nurses.

Weekes said that the stipend could encourage more people to study nursing especially in light of the on-going nursing shortage.

“It would be an incentive also, for more persons to join the profession to join the training, at least because they know that the challenges of not having the finances would be alleviated to a certain extent . . .  So this is coming at an opportune time when we know that we have a shortage of nurses. Having an incentive will encourage more persons, younger persons, to pursue nursing as a career.”

Francis-Miller said nurses also needed more incentives in the form of educational and career development opportunities.

“Migration is something that has been happening in Barbados for years. It has not just started. Nurses are continuing to migrate and we have, as a nurses’ association, been asking and advocating for incentives to help keep our nurses here. We would like some more incentives.”

Second year student nurse Aldaro Blackman agreed that the programme was financially difficult especially when travel costs and book and equipment expenses are factored in.

He said: “Nursing as a major is very expensive.”

There are close to 400 student nurses training at BCC.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb

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The demand for evidence was so great that at 11:00 a.m., the personnel working there were already considering closing the door.

According to the Ministry of Public Health’s most recent bulletin, 984, COVID-19 infections continue to rise, with 216 new patients detected, 1,948 active cases, and a positivity rate of 16.04%. Carlos Féliz, an epidemiologist and public health doctor, told Diario Libre that the cases being presented were not of “greater importance” and that what was happening was an “increase in cases of influenza”.

“We are facing an acute process of Covid rise in the Dominican Republic,” Féliz said. The doctor compared the current rise in cases to bulletin figures from 45 days ago, when the positivity rate was 2.38%, 24 new cases were reported, and 249 assets were counted. “At the time of yesterday’s bulletin, 983, the situation had already changed with 12% positivity and over 1,400 active cases,” he noted.