Furthermore, health officials said they were aware of the disquiet it has caused among residents in the area, and are working with property owners to have the pool drained and maintained. The Ministry also pointed out that it would continue to monitor the situation at the property.

It added that while there is still a dengue fever outbreak on the island, the number of suspected and confirmed cases continues to decline.

Health authorities urged Barbadians to remain vigilant and take the necessary actions to prevent mosquito breeding on their properties.

The Ministry noted that it would continue its weekly fogging programme, which aims to reduce the population of the adult aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue.

(PR)

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The Shaw Centre for Paediatric Excellence has made its first donation of equipment to the Paediatrics Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. 

The 24 pieces of equipment valued at approximately $170,000 were officially handed over on Thursday by SCPE Barbados Director, Dr Clyde Cave to Consultant and Head of the QEH Pediatrics Department, Dr Angela Jennings. 

The QEH says this support from the Shaw Centre will assist efforts to improve the level of care provided for young patients and is another step in the partnership where the hospital is the recipient of medical support on several levels. 

Dr Cave, an honorary consultant and leading pediatrician said, “the journey is one toward excellence and the actual physical equipment is only one station along the way”. 

Giving her take on the donation, Dr Jennings explains the new equipment is a significant advancement and improvement and will go a long way to improving the level of care offered to children on the Pediatric ward. 

She’s also appealing to corporate Barbados to initiate more public-private sector partnerships to help address some of the hospital’s other critical needs. 

The donation includes infant scales, digital health-o-meters, measuring mats, medical carts, patient monitors and examination tables. 

Some of the successes of the SCPE programme to date include: 

• Specialist training of some 40 local nurses to be redeployed at the QEH and across Barbados’ health-care system.

• Four physicians trained in targeted, high-need paediatric subspecialties.

• The completion of six international observerships in quality improvement.

This donation is the first of many expected in the coming months, as the Shaw Centre for Paediatric Excellence continues to partner with provide support to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

(PR)

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On Monday, February 19, the team from the Vector Control Unit will visit a number of districts in St Andrew. They are Corbin’s Road, Lakes Road, Farrell Road, Isolation Road, Jordan Road, Franklin Doughlin Road, Babylon Road, Walkers, Bawden’s Road, and environs.

The following areas in St Peter will be fogged on Tuesday, February 20: French Village, Mount Brevitor, West Ring Road, Vuemont, Bow Drive, Inner Circle, Mile- and- a- Quarter, and surrounding districts.

On Wednesday, February 21, the St Peter districts of Maynard’s Road, Maynard’s Housing Area, Leslie Gardens, Carpenter’s Circle, Rose Hill, and environs will be sprayed.

The team will target the St Lucy districts of Trent’s Road, Hannays Road, Swampy Town, Hope Bridge Road, and neighbouring areas on Thursday, February 22.

Fogging will conclude for the week on Friday, February 23, in St Thomas in White Hall Road, Country View, Hill View Drive, and environs.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the spray.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, it will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

(PR)

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The Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Vector Control Unit will target the parishes of St Philip and St Michael for fogging this week.

The team will be in St Philip for the first four days of the week before moving onto communities in St Michael.

On Monday, February 5, the Unit will spray College Savannah 1 & 2, Fortescue and environs. The following day, Tuesday, February 6, they will concentrate their mosquito eradication efforts in Blades Hill 1 to 3, Bayfield, Skeete’s Bay, and neighbouring districts.

Culpepper Development, Marley Vale, St. Catherine Road, Ragged Point, and surrounding areas will be targeted on Wednesday, February 7.

The team will wrap up in St Philip on Thursday, February 8, when they fog Industry Hall, Content Cot, and Coles Road.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday, February 9, when the Unit visits the following areas in St Michael: Passage Road, Passage Garden, Alleyne Lane, Strathclyde Crescent, Strathclyde Drive, and Monteith Gardens.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the spray.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

(PR)

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Barbadians now have access to testing for genetic eye diseases, as it is readily available on the island for the first time.

Dr Charles Pierce is the pioneer behind bringing the testing to the island, after realising the need for more accurate diagnosis in eye diseases among the population.

“There has always been this gap in terms of diagnosis of inherited eye disease. Sometimes you can say “this looks like something, but we’ve never had a genetic confirmation. That is something I want to move forward,” Pierce said.

Pierce has more than 15 years’ experience in the field, having worked in Barbados and the United Kingdom (UK).

Having studied Ophthalmology in the UK, zoning in on diseases affecting the back of the eye, his curiosity was piqued as to what genes are responsible for causing inherited diseases in the Caribbean. There has not been a test on the island, to allow families to know their status as it relates to inherited diseases.

“We are moving into an era of personalized medicine where we can look forward to treat inherited  eye diseases but only if we know the genetic cause. Without this information,  we’re never going to have treatments tailored for people in the Caribbean,” Pierce said.

“In a lot of countries, diagnosis is based on testing patients to identify the gene causing the problem. I wanted to bring that to Barbados.”

Testing for genetic eye diseases in Barbados will allow for a more accurate understanding of the genetic abnormalities and how prevalent they are across the island. Through a simple swab of the mouth, the saliva collected can be analysed for testing.

“The hope is that more people will be able to get a definitive diagnosis. We can hopefully build a library of the different genetic abnormalities that are in our population,  leading  to more research and insight to treatments in the future,” Pierce said.

Persons with an inherited eye disease can experience night blindness and changes to central vision. Currently, patients with low vision manage their disease through habit changes such as wearing of shades, magnification and enlargement of fonts on smart devices.

(PR)

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A local company that specialises in providing therapy has welcomed Fontana Roach, a registered counselling psychologist, to its team.

The Relational Practices Ltd, based in St Philip, provides therapy for individuals, couples, adolescents and families managing issues like depression, anxiety, adjustment, family conflict, trauma, self-harm, and crisis intervention.

Roach who holds a Master of Science in Counselling Psychology from The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, said she was eager to join the team as she has always had a passion for working in the mental health profession.

“I developed a passion for studying human behaviour and mental health and I wanted to help people overcome challenges that were not conducive to their health and relationships,” Roach said.

“As it relates to adolescent health, my own experiences during my adolescent phase and my father’s interest in the area were a major influence in my life. Persons had a way of describing adolescence as one of ‘storm and stress’ or of ‘rebellion,’ and during my studies, I recognised the myths and misconceptions that led to these incorrect perceptions about the adolescent phase.

“If I could help correct these misconceptions, myths, and incorrect perceptions, then the [adolescent] phase would not be described as negatively as it was in the past,” she added.

According to Roach: “We don’t expect babies to be able to walk and talk when they are born as we know that there are particular stages at which these skills and capabilities develop, and we nurture and support them through these phases until they reach the particular milestone. But we tend not to offer the same support to adolescents during their phase of development due to the lack of knowledge and I want to help change that.”

(PR)

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The surge in patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department for treatment continues into a third consecutive day, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital said Saturday.

At 5 p.m., approximately 40 patients were waiting to be seen by doctors and nurses.

The department remains very busy and medical teams are reporting an increase in the number of patients presenting with respiratory illnesses.

In light of this, the QEH strongly encourages people who find themselves in crowded areas or events to wear a mask, especially over this long weekend.

The Emergency Ambulance Service has also been very busy with increasing calls and responses, bringing several patients to AED for emergency 2 care. This heightened activity has extended wait times in the department especially for non-critical patients.

Management at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is again appealing to the public if you are unsure about your medical complaint to determine if you need to present to the Accident and Emergency Department, please call the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/Help Desk) at 536-4800 using regular or whatsapp calls from 9 a.ma to 12 midnight during this surge.

You also have the option of visiting the 24-hour Winston Scott Polyclinic at Jemmotts Lane, St Michael for treatment or your private General Practitioner.

If you present to the AED at this time with medical conditions which are not deemed life-threatening or an emergency, you may experience a longer than desired wait for treatment. However, life-threatening conditions, under AED’s Triage System will continue to be seen and treated immediately. These include patients who for example, have life, limb or sight threatening complaints, gunshot wounds, heart attacks, active seizure activity or a patient who needs resuscitation.

The QEH wishes to apologise for the inconvenience, and we will continue to provide updates on the situation.

(PR)

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The following statement was issued by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Saturday:

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is again experiencing a surge in the number of patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department for treatment with various medical complaints.

At 8 a.m. Saturday, 38, patients were waiting to be seen by our medical team.

The current situation has led to increased wait times in the department. We’re reminding the public, if you present to the AED at this time with medical conditions which are not deemed life-threatening or an emergency, it is possible you may experience an extended wait.

Life-threatening conditions, under AED’s Triage System will continue to be seen and treated immediately. These include patients who for example, have life, limb or sight threatening complaints, gunshot wounds, heart attacks, active seizure activity or a patient who needs resuscitation.

If you are unsure about your medical complaint to determine if you need to present to the Accident and Emergency Department, please call our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/Help Desk) at 536- 4800 using regular or whatsapp calls from 9am to 12 midnight during this surge.

You also have the option of visiting the 24-hour Winston Scott Polyclinic at Jemmotts Lane, St Michael for treatment or your private General Practitioner.

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and we will continue to provide updates on the situation.

(PR)

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The Vector Control Unit will continue its fogging programme this week with emphasis on three parishes.

When the exercise starts on Monday, December 11, the team will focus attention on the St John districts of Foster Hall, St Margaret’s Village Road, Glenburnie and the environs.

A return to that parish on Tuesday, December 12, will see fogging at Martin’s Bay, Zores, New Castle, New Castle Hill, and environs.

The following day, Wednesday, December 13, the team will journey to St Philip, where Bottom Bay Road, Bottom Drive, Ocean Drive, Apple Hall, Inch Cape, Harrismith Road, and environs will be sprayed.

On Thursday, December 14, fogging will move to St Michael. Areas to be sprayed are: Danesbury Road, Hinkson Gap, Retreat Road, Spring Garden, Carters Gap, Carlton Terrace, Brighton Beach Road North and South and environs.

Fogging concludes on Friday, December 15, with a return to St Michael. The districts to be visited are Brighton Road, Ashdeane Road, Brighton Terrace, Dodson Land, Rosemont, Deacon’s Farm Housing Area, Birds River, Holders Land, Brandons, Bays Water, and environs.

Fogging will run from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., each day. Householders are asked to assist in the control of the aedes aegypti mosquito by opening all windows and doors to allow the fog to penetrate. Persons with respiratory problems should protect themselves from inhaling the fog.

Pedestrians and motorists should proceed with caution when encountering fogging operations on the street and parents are instructed to prohibit children from playing in the fog or running behind the fogging machine.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to affected communities as soon as possible.

(PR)

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The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) says it resumed burning medical waste at its Martindales Road facility on Monday, November 27.

Since then, management has received a number of complaints from residents in the surrounding environs about the increase in the level of smoke coming from the incinerator, the QEH said in a statement on Saturday. 

The hospital said it has acknowledged these concerns and is taking them seriously. 

In response, management and the engineering department have decided on the following measures: 

• The creation of a new schedule for burning medical waste as an immediate measure to address environmental concerns raised by residents. Starting next week, incineration will be conducted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only; there will be no burning from Friday through to Monday.

• As a temporary measure, the existing incinerator will be outfitted with new ‘after-burners’, the purpose of which is to provide a cleaner burn and a significant reduction in the level of smoke expelled from the plant. These should be installed within the coming weeks.

• The board of management and the management team are actively exploring green, environmentally friendly technologies as a long-term solution for medical waste management at the hospital.

Management at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital apologies for the inconvenience and thanks residents for their patience and understanding, as we work on a more permanent solution.

(PR)

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