To prevent the spread of the disease, the vehicles will be used for field operations such as cleaning, disinfection, and surveillance. The charge d’affaires of the US embassy, Robert Thomas, emphasized his government’s extensive cooperation since the discovery of ASF last year.

The diplomat assured that “the United States wants to see the Dominican Republic prosper and succeed and that means working hand in hand with the Dominican authorities to eradicate African swine fever to guarantee the continued success and prosperity of the hog production sector.” He added that “today’s donation is just another example of our sustained and ongoing support to the Dominican Republic in the management and mitigation of African swine fever.” The Minister of Agriculture pointed out that “since the activation of the ASF Incidence Command System, we have kept this dangerous disease under control to protect the Dominican swine population and with the firm decision of President Abinader each producer affected by slaughtering their pigs we compensate at a fair price so that you can recover and maintain your economy”.

He indicated that it is a joint work in addition to international organizations, the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Directorate of Livestock, Digega el Bagrícola and pig producers. This delivery, valued at US$380,000, is part of the more than US$17 million that the US government has contributed to the country since July 2021 in vehicles, equipment, and technical assistance to eradicate this disease and protect the Dominican people from its impact on the national economy and food security. The total figure also includes US$5.2 million to compensate producers who lost their pigs due to the epidemic.

The health center, when applying for the National Quality Award, organized by the Ministry of Public Administration, obtained a silver medal in 2015, a gold medal in 2016, and the Grand National Quality Award in 2017, as well as Gold in its first application for the Ibero-American Quality Award in its 2019 version and was received in Madrid in February 2020.

In July of this year, the HPHM led in the No.1 position in the ranking of the best hospitals nationwide according to the Public Administration Monitoring System (SISMAP) for the health sector. On that occasion, it was also recognized by the National Health Service (SNS), for achieving the best hospital performance in the country. When offering the information, Dr. Dhamelisse Then, Director of the Hugo Mendoza Pediatric Hospital, highlighted the full support of the National Health Service, for what was a country application and revealed the passion, dedication, and great sense of humanization of the medical and administrative staff that make this health center a national and Ibero-American reference model.

The Ibero-American Quality Award is organized by the Ibero-American Quality Foundation (FUNDIBEQ) and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), an organization attached to the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government.

The Ministry of Public Health reports the closure of the Agua Lily bottling plants, located on Avenida Hermanas Mirabal, at the entrance to Colonia Los Doctores, Villa Mella, and Envasadora de Agua Liana, located on 1st Street, corner 6th Street, in Los Guaricanos, in the province of Santo Domingo Norte.

The two water processing and bottling plants were closed for violating the General Health Law 42-01 and it’s Public Health regulation 528-01, according to the Vice Ministry for the Regulation of Products for Human Consumption. It indicates that various pathogens, including pseudomonas, vibrios, and entamoeba histolytica, were detected in the processed water tests.

To prevent the cholera cases that have been reported in the La Zurza sector of the National District, it is reported that they maintain ongoing monitoring operations throughout the National District and the Santo Domingo Norte province.

Santo Domingo, DR
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MISPAS) confirmed four new cases of Cholera, corresponding to men of 50, 30, 23, and 4 years of age, respectively, all of Dominican nationality and residents of the La Zurza sector of the National District.

The patients were admitted last Thursday, 15 of this month, after presenting with watery diarrhea accompanied by vomiting and dry mouth. They were hydrated and stabilized at the health center, and they immediately proceeded to take stool samples, obtaining a positive result for Cholera on Saturday 17th.

The report certifies that the four patients have not had bowel movements for more than 24 hours; all of them are stable, in good spirits and appetite, and remain in the hospital for observation purposes, with possible discharge in the next few hours.

Likewise, the Health Area IV Directorate, together with the Vice Ministry of Collective Health and the Risk Management and Epidemiology Directorates, is maintaining the epidemiological surveillance, with close relatives, in addition to a permanent intervention in this locality, to detect, prevent and investigate any suspected case of the disease.

At the same time, it is reported as part of the continuous monitoring carried out in vulnerable areas. Specifically, a study of water samples taken at different points of the La Isabela River confirmed the presence of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

In this regard, the authorities of the Ministry of Health urged the population not to be alarmed, to remain attentive to reports, and follow preventive measures such as frequent hand washing, washing food properly, eating well-cooked food, drinking only potable water, and if you present any diarrheal event go to your nearest health center for investigation and timely treatment.

Santo Domingo, DR
The predominant symptoms of the omicron subvariant of Covid 19 circulating in the country in recent weeks are characterized by a clinical presentation very similar to that of a flu-like process, but in some cases, can end up causing pneumonia.

The sensation of coughing, sore throat, general malaise, nasal congestion, tearing, and the feeling of congestion of facial bones can often be accompanied by gastrointestinal manifestations, ranging from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, among the main characteristics of the symptoms presented by patients.

This is explained by the pulmonologist Evangelina Soler, former president of the Dominican Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, who points out the importance of the patient going to the doctor to make an accurate and differential diagnosis since it can be confused with other circulating viruses such as influenza, syncytial, adenovirus and dengue.

Lumbar pain

He said that other symptoms that Covid-19 currently presents are that the patient may have a fever or fever that occurs on one or two occasions, chills, and may have pain in the lumbar region.

The specialist explained that these characteristic symptoms occur in three to four days. After the cytokine storm, which appears on the seventh or eighth day after the onset of the symptoms, the patient may develop pneumonia, with cough and sensation of respiratory difficulty. However, she clarified that this is in the minority of cases.

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The National Nutrition Centre has offered some advice to help Barbadians successfully navigate the buffet table this Christmas season by making healthier food choices.

Community Nutrition Officer 1, Carla Ramsay, explained that while this time of year was usually one of indulgence, the basic rules of good nutrition still obtained.

“Include a variety of nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables in your daily diet or on your holiday menu. Also, use less salt in your meal preparations. When you are seasoning your meats, instead of lime and salt, just use lime or vinegar. Use low sodium seasonings and beware of the additional salt that may add up from certain packaged seasonings,” Ramsay advised.

While it was customary for persons to throw caution to the wind during the holiday period with the hopes of getting back on track in the New Year, she pointed out that this approach was not a particularly good idea.

“This is not advisable because a lot of damage can be done in a short period of time. Usually, people are shocked when they see their blood results early in the New Year. It is a season that all of us can enjoy. We are not stopping anyone from having their favourite foods but be mindful of how much and how often you are going to have them. You can eat nutritiously, even in December,” she emphasised.

Ramsay offered a few tips to help persons, especially those with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), to choose wisely when at family gatherings or corporate events:

Eat before you leave so you don’t over indulge on the wrong foods. Don’t save up calories by eating less throughout the day, so you can indulge at a party or event. That generally doesn’t work out well for most people.

Walk with a healthy snack, especially when out shopping. This could be a banana, apple, nuts, etc.

Scan the buffet or food table ahead of eating time.

Choose one or two splurges instead of items you can have any other time of year.

Aim to make the plate look festive by including colourful fruits and vegetables.

Water is still a viable option. Be mindful that most drinks will be sweetened so you can choose a smaller glass.

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation and alternate each alcoholic beverage with water.

A polite ‘no thank you’ can work. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed.

Don’t overfill your plate. You may also choose a smaller plate and remember to eat slowly. Half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, a quarter of it should be high fibre or complex starches and another quarter could be your lean protein or a vegetarian source.

Also check your fullness level while eating.

“For persons with NCDs, be mindful of what you are eating. The same things that we talk about from January to November
hold also in December. Make sure you have your fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, high fibre and your complex carbohydrates or starches. 

“Make sure you monitor your blood sugar and blood pressure throughout the season. Like I said, it is not that you don’t have the special treats but how much and how often. They should fit into what is considered a healthy day for you,” Ramsay stated.

For further information, persons may download the National Nutrition Centre’s Healthy Eating Guide at this address.

https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/healthy-eating-guide-available-for-download (BGIS)

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However, “the coronavirus will not disappear; it will continue, and countries will have to learn to manage it alongside other respiratory problems such as the flu,” Tedros said, adding that the 90% drop in mpox cases encourages hope for a quick resolution to this health crisis.

Tedros recalled that the criteria for determining whether the covid pandemic is no longer an international emergency will be discussed at the next meeting of the committee of experts, which has met quarterly since 2020 to analyze the evolution of the health crisis.

The WHO chief emphasized that, while the number of cases in both the covid and mpox crises is declining, the world still faces numerous health challenges, citing the cholera outbreaks currently declared in 29 countries, including the one that has killed 280 people in Haiti.

By Anesta Henry

Executive Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Dr Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland has given the assurance that even though a cyber security incident affected a number of the hospital’s services on Tuesday, swift measures were implemented to protect patient privacy.

Bynoe-Sutherland said the disruption caused the suspension of all internet-dependent services which she described as extensive.

“The IT [Information Technology] experts have taken all precautions to protect the integrity of our system and the privacy of all of our patients. We do apologise for the inconvenience that may be experienced by all of our users, but rest assured we will continue to keep the public informed as we seek to restore services here at the hospital,” Bynoe-Sutherland said.

MIST (Ministry of Industry, Innovation Science and Technology) and cyber security specialists have been working with the QEH’s IT department to rectify the issue. 

In addition to the temporary precautions being taken to protect the integrity of systems and patient privacy, the hospital chief indicated that the Ambulance Service continues to function as normal, the Blood Collecting Centre continues to welcome blood donations. Members seeking further information have been encouraged to contact the Patient Liason Service (Help Desk), at 536-4800.

The Executive Chairman told Barbados TODAY she could not say exactly when the matter will be resolved. 

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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