President Irfaan Ali on Monday night announced fatter pay-packets for 5,000 healthcare workers ranging from GY$100,000 at the lowest rung to GY$450,000,  saying it was an effort to ensure they “enjoy a good salary and a better standard of living” while at the same time delivering quality services to the nation’s sick and injured. “We ...

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Kenneth George is urging Barbadians not to drop their guard at this time because COVID-19 and a strain of flu – identified as H3N2 – were both circulating among the population.

George said the positivity rate and the R-effective indicated COVID-19 was still very much in the community, but those coming forward to be tested have declined. As a result, the number of people with the viral illness “may not be a true reflection of what it really is”.

He made the disclosure in a recorded statement on Monday.

George said hospitalisation remained low and those patients were exhibiting minor forms of the illness. There has been a single COVID-19 death in the past seven days.

“I am not here to dampen your Christmas in any way, but we are here to let you know there are still some things that you can do prevent sickness and illness,” he said.

“We are indeed facing a double whammy, because we have COVID circulating and we have flu circulating. The flu virus has been typed. It is H3N2 that has been circulating and that has also increased steeply within the last two months. We continue to monitor both for flu and for COVID.”

There have been no hospitalisations or deaths associated with the flu virus, but the CMO said they would report to the public if there were any changes.

George said those with chronic diseases, the overweight and elderly remain vulnerable and he asked them to go the extra mile.

Deputy chief environmental officer and former head of the COVID Monitoring Unit, Ronald Chapman, reinforced the public health measures of mask wearing, handwashing or the use of sanitisers and physical distancing.

“However, we recognise there has been a relaxation in the directives and because of that relaxation we expect persons to take responsibility for themselves. So we are asking persons – as we continue to work through the issues of COVID – if you are feeling unwell, if you are feeling ill, it is wise to put on a mask.

“You may not have COVID, you may be suffering with the flu or may be just a common cold but all respiratory diseases can be fought with the use of the mask.”

Chapman also asked members of the population to manage their risk.

“The Ministry of Health has no intention at this present time to return to the heavy-handed approach that we had during COVID. You can see that with the relaxation of the protocols and the dissolution of the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit. We are at a place where we believe persons can act responsibly; that persons can take stock of their own risk, they can look and see how they can protect themselves as opposed to persons police every moment that they make.” (SAT)

'I mean, obviously you would like people to use good judgment to protect themselves and their family in that community without necessarily having to mandate anything,' said Dr Anthony Fauci. WebMD Health News

The Public Works Ministry on Monday issued a final warning to vendors on New Market Street opposite Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) to remove their stalls or they will be demolished and taken away. “A final notice is hereby given to vendors who are occupying spaces along New Market Street, between Thomas and East Streets, to ...

In Part 1 the Caribbean Superheroes series you read about the lived experiences of children and young people with type 1 diabetes.

Jawan, 7 and Tiana, 4, who are aspiring scientists from Trinidad and Tobago shared their dislike for checking their blood sugar levels, taking their insulin, and waiting for their insulin to start working before they can eat. Their mother, Penelope, outlined her daily routine which includes checking in on them during the night and at school.

Kerro, 20, an aspiring graphic artist from Antigua and Barbuda recalled some of her classmates and general public’s curiosity about her condition and the stigma she experienced. Kerro and Xarriah, 22, race car driver fan from Barbados both agreed on the importance of supportive friends on their type 1 diabetes journey.

Given that they have to live with the condition, these superheroes are also experts on how the wider society can better support people living with diabetes. Their recommendations focus on: 1. Diabetes Education, 2. Destigmatization, 3. Prioritizing spaces and environments that support healthy children, 4. Access to Medication and devices.

Aligned with the theme for World Diabetes Day 2022, “access to diabetes education”, all the superheroes agreed that education on one of the most common conditions in the Caribbean is critical. In particular, Xarriah and Kerro think that there should be improved education around all types of diabetes – including type 1. These superheroes have been educators since their diagnosis. However, they need help. Xarriah noted,

As much as we try to educate people, there is still a lot to be learned. And a lot of people still aren’t certain and a lot of people still group together the diabetes, the types, they still group together type 1 and type 2 and I think there needs to be a lot more information about what is type 1 versus what is type 2….not just bulking them all in one place and separating them and giving them their own identities so people understand.

Kerro agreed and she shared that even though diabetes runs in her family, she wasn’t aware of type 1 until she was diagnosed. She said,

Most times I just used to think it was older people. But now I know that people are born with it, you have babies who develop it. So I just think they need to start educating more, because, as I said, a lot of people in my class, at the age of 11 didn’t even know you could get it at such a young age.

Kerro and Xarriah recommend the integration of diabetes education into primary and secondary school subjects including Health and Family Life Education, Physical Education or Science across the Caribbean. Xarriah firmly believes in this approach as she notes that school-based education would have helped her when she got diagnosed as she, like Kerro, wasn’t aware of the realities of living with type 1 diabetes,

And in the event that one person gets type 1 they have an understanding of okay, this is what is happening to my body and this is what I may have to do for the rest of my life. And this is what I might have to endure. Because I feel like I was not very well educated when I was diagnosed. I had a general idea of diabetes because people in my family have type 2 but i didn’t have the knowledge of type 1 until I got diagnosed.

Widespread education on diabetes is critical in addressing the misinformation and resulting stigma that many persons living with diabetes experience.

Kerro recalls numerous cases where she has felt like her condition was misunderstood:

I feel like diabetics are part of that group that people tend to overlook. They just say “If you’re diabetic, it is caused by sugar and if you end up in the hospital it is because you eat too much sugar. “ So essentially you’ve caused it. That is something that I have encountered myself at a hospital.

This is a common misconception with type 1 diabetes. Persons living with type 1 diabetes don’t develop the condition as a result of lifestyle choices. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which your body’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in your pancreas which drastically reduces the ability of your body to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar.

The lack of understanding of type 1 diabetes has also resulted in people treating those with the condition differently. Kerro, Xarriah and Penelope wished that people would treat children and young people living with diabetes like anyone else.

Kerro shared that, when diagnosed, “It’s not changing personality, it is not changing the person. It is not contagious. It is not going to harm you in any way – you as in the other person.”

For Penelope, she reassures her children that there is “nothing they cannot do” despite the world saying otherwise. She notes that her children are “even more amazing” as they live with diabetes.

In the absence of formal education or mass media awareness campaigns, Kerro encourages people who are curious about the condition to “just ask”.

In addition to improved education across age groups, Penelope, as a parent, highlights the need for schools to better care for children living with diabetes. She said she would value the presence of nurses, even if sporadic, on the school compound and the use of a sanitized private room to assist Jawan and Tiana with administering insulin or anything else they may need.

An effort to better care for children could also be extended to the implementation of healthy school nutrition policies to protect the school food environment. Although Penelope packs lunches for Jawan and Tiana, given their condition, she agreed that a school policy that would restrict the availability of ultra processed foods and improve the availability of fruits would be valuable. Relatedly, Penelope also noted the importance of physical activity at school but also at home. Penelope advises parents to prioritize physical activity and diversify, if possible, the kinds of activities that children do. Jawan, unlike his mom, loves to do burpees (a full body exercise that includes a pushup followed by a leap in the air) and they do them and other physical activities together. Jawan says he can do 20 burpees in 27 seconds and holds his mom accountable.

The final challenge outlined by the superheroes is access to insulin and appropriate glucose monitoring devices. Tiana said insulin gives her “super powers”, like Elsa from the movie Frozen. Children and young people need access to insulin and testing strips daily to be able to carry out their daily superhero duties.

The governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago provide a glucose monitoring device (GMD), insulin and testing strips but the quality of the GMD, insulin and the number of test strips provided varies.

Penelope shared her reality with trying to access what Tiana and Jawan need, “We have gotten one device per child and they provide us with the strips for the machines. I have written 2 Letters [to government] to increase the number of containers of strips for both children.” Her request, which had to be written by a doctor, was approved.

The glucose monitoring device that all the superheroes currently have requires them to prick their finger to test the sugar levels in their blood. Their dream is to be able to have access to a GMD that offers continuous glucose monitoring and does not require the user to prick themselves. Kerro painted the reality that unfortunately, “ it isn’t available here and the accessories or counterparts to it are very expensive.” She noted that the Antigua and Barbuda Diabetes Association has been lobbying to make them more widely available locally; currently each sensor costs $200 XCD and lasts 2 weeks (a total of $400 XCD a month).

But for her the Freestyle Libre would be ideal, “It’s much easier to use, and it motivates me to check my blood sugar more. It’s more convenient since I don’t have to continuously prick myself. I just put on the sensor/patch on my arm and put the monitor close to it. It’s almost like using Bluetooth to check my blood sugar”

Penelope shared similar sentiments, “I can’t afford the Libre, it would be so helpful to have access to it. It will definitely benefit my children with their lifestyle and assist me by being able to relax and not have to worry so much.”

In addition to the Freestyle Libre, Penelope said, “ I would love to have access to at least 3 different insulin,  needles (suitable for children) and Glucose Gummies to help raise blood sugar when needed.

In Barbados, Xarriah was quite pleased that the insulin pen had recently been added to the drug registry. The insulin pen is an insulin delivery system that generally looks like a large pen; it uses an insulin cartridge rather than a vial, and uses disposable needles. Xarriah says it is particularly convenient because it does not have to be on ice, unlike insulin vials. With the pens being added to the list, this means that “they are available at pharmacies across the island at a significantly reduced cost. This has been a tremendous help for those who prefer the pens and may not have been able to afford them before. The Diabetes and Hypertension Association of Barbados also provides insulin pens and vials to its members for free once they are available”

The superheroes are managing their reality but their quality of life could be improved with changes from all stakeholders – policymakers and you as a reader. The superheroes are calling for Diabetes Education, Destigmatization, Prioritization of spaces and environments that support healthy children and improved access to medication and devices. So, next time you see a child or young person testing their sugar levels or taking insulin, you can be curious but also be kind. If you hear a mother, like Penelope, asking for changes to the school environment to make it healthier and easier to navigate for her children (and yours) – support her.

Diabetes Month is highlighted every November, but let us not wait until November 2023 to share Tiana, Jawan, Penelope, Kerro and Xarriah’s experiences and solutions for change. Diabetes Day is their reality, let us do what we can to cheer on and support our superheroes on their daily journey.

November is World Diabetes Awareness month and November 14th has been deemed World Diabetes Day. The date was chosen in honour of Canadian Sir Frederick Banting, who, together with Charles Best discovered insulin, 100 years ago.

Danielle Walwyn is the Advocacy Officer at the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and helps to coordinate its youth arm, Healthy Caribbean Youth. She is also working alongside Xarriah, superhero and member of the HCC People living with NCDS Advisory Committee, to create a space for young people living with NCDS to connect. Send feedback to danielle.walwyn@healthycaribbean.org

The post Caribbean Superheroes – Children and Youth living with Type 1 Diabetes Part 2 appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

Some long COVID researchers have suspected smaller, less obvious blood clots may be causing many of the puzzling symptoms reported by patients who have lasting effects of the virus. WebMD Health News

331 residents will benefit from ...

What does a 7 year old future scientist from Trinidad and Tobago, an aspiring graphic designer from Antigua and Barbuda and a race car driver fan from Barbados have in common? They all live with type 1 diabetes.

This two-part series (read Part 2 here) aims to educate Caribbean readers about diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes (which is often misunderstood), through the lived experiences of children and youth with this condition. It details their day-to-day experiences, challenges, successes and solutions to better protect persons living with diabete –  one of the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in our region.

Type 1 diabetes, which is often overlooked, traditionally called childhood-onset or juvenile diabetes, occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. A combination of genetic and environmental factors is thought to cause the majority of Type 1 diabetes cases. At present, Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented and although Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age it is most common in childhood and adolescence.

Jawan, 7, from Trinidad and Tobago was diagnosed at 3 years. His sister Tiana, 4, was also diagnosed at the same age.

Xarriah, 22, from Barbados, was diagnosed at age 10, the day before her 11th birthday.

Kerro, 20, from Antigua and Barbuda remembers being surrounded by frantic nurses at a school fair when she decided, out of curiosity, to get her blood sugar checked. Kerro, who was 12 when she was diagnosed, remembers the day clearly:

First thing I remember, honestly, was the frantic nurses. Everyone was frantic and I was kinda confused because I felt normal. At the time my sugar was around 382, 383. And everyone was so alarmed, they just kept checking my sugar levels over and over again because they thought there was a malfunction with the machines.

A normal blood sugar reading for children between the ages of 6-12 (before a meal) should range between 90 to 180 mg/dL (5.0 to 10.0 mmol/L). Xarriah, Jawan and Tiana also had abnormal readings.

Once diagnosed, children and young people living with type 1 diabetes and their families must navigate a new reality inclusive of blood sugar checks, taking insulin, homework, play and engaging with peers.

Both Jawan and Tiana shared that they don’t like living with the condition. When asked why, Jawan said “I don’t like taking my sugar and waiting 20 minutes to eat.” Similarly Tiana said, “I don’t like it. I don’t like taking my insulin.”

This is a sentiment that was felt by Kerro and Xarriah as well.

There are a lot of adjustments post-diagnosis. For example, 12 year old newly diagnosed Kerro hated needles but she had to face her fear when she was told she had to inject herself 5-6 times a day (excluding the finger pricks for her sugar checks). She remembers being confronted with this new reality when the nurses at the hospital taught her how to give herself insulin. She “hated it” and recalls it taking a while to get adjusted.

Given that Jawan and Tiana are still quite young, their mom Penelope often wakes up throughout the night to check their sugar levels.

At nights I stay up a few hours because I have to monitor them during the night as well because sometimes their readings are very good just before going to bed but two hours later, if you check them randomly, their levels drop and sometimes they don’t. So you don’t know where they are during the night. And so I do get up some nights, at 1am, well in the morning actually at 1am, I do a random check and sometimes I get up at 3am again. It is very unpredictable.

She also visits their school around lunch time to check in on them. The teachers, whom she is in close contact with, often alert her in the event of any issues/problems.

Although both Kerro and Xarriah recently graduated college and university, their primary and secondary school experiences as recently diagnosed children living with diabetes are easy to remember.

For Kerro, she recalls her peers’ reaction when she had to give herself insulin in class:

At the time I was in grade 6 and it was still new to everyone in the class too. They literally used to run out of the class when they saw the needle. At first I would laugh because I was like “a needle? Ya’ll are running from a needle?” but after a while I was like, why are they running? It started to feel a little lonely in a sense. Only 1 or 2 people would stay back in the class. And at the time my classroom was like 39 students.

She also had to debunk a lot of myths about diabetes while at school. She was stared at while taking insulin and peers asked a lot of questions; one student even asked her if she was taking drugs.

Xarriah also describes her secondary school classmates as being curious but accepting overall.

I have heard some people saying that their classmates tease them but I felt like my classmates were okay. They always had my back. They asked questions and I answered as much as I could but they were pretty accepting. They were very accepting, not pretty accepting, very accepting. They accepted, understood and asked questions and I answered.

In addition to managing curious classmates, children and young people living with type 1 diabetes also have to navigate how, when and what they eat at school.

Given the prevalence of unhealthy foods in schools and the desire to be extra cautious with what Jawan and Tiana eat, Penelope packs lunch for them but wishes the school environment made healthy foods more accessible.

For Xarriah, the timing of university classes, particularly the evening classes, and the ability to eat in class was a challenge as she tries to have her last meal before 9:00PM. Some lecturers allow her to eat during class but others do not.

In addition to school-specific challenges, these superheroes also spoke about dealing with the sugar ‘highs and lows’.

Kerro shared that whenever she gets the lows (low blood sugar), it feels like “you’re on edge, you’re irritated, you just don’t know what’s going on. And then I realized that when I was little I used to experience the same feeling but I didn’t know what it was. I used to feel weak and almost like trembling in a sense. But I just used to think it’s because I didn’t eat or I was tired.”

Jawan, in his few years of living with type 1 has also experienced some scary lows. Penelope recalls that he had 2 seizures which have presented very differently with varying symptoms. During his most recent seizure, he was unresponsive, fell and hit his mouth and burst his lip. It took him quite some time to remember who he was. Penelope recalls that he could hear her but he couldn’t respond. He was aware enough to eat and while she fed him he started to cry. Once he became responsive, Penelope asked him why he was crying and he said “I didn’t know if I was going to make it”.

Living with type 1 diabetes has its ups and downs as described in these real-life accounts. These children and young people have to navigate life while also managing the realities of their condition. Kerro, Xarriah and Penelope mentioned that support from their circle has been critical on their journey.

Both Kerro and Xarriah noted the value of the friendships they made in highschool which followed them into college and beyond. For Kerro, her friends supported her and would step in to answer strangers’ questions when she was too tired. Kerro even taught her friends how to give her insulin if she was ever unable to give it to herself.

Xarriah said that, like Kerro, she has friends from secondary school who “To this day, they still have my back.”

Penelope emphasized the critical role that the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago has played since the time of Jawan’s diagnosis. She speaks warmly about the community, “the love and support from the association and that type 1 [whatsapp] chat, definitely gives me a lot of support…We say this all the time, we are all in it together. Don’t ever feel like you’re alone. When we all come together, it is very emotional, we can’t help it because of the experiences we have had so far. But it really helps when we have that support.”

Children and young people living with type 1 diabetes are superheroes, there is no doubt about it.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the series where Kerro, Xarriah, Penelope, Jawan and Tiana will share the changes they want to see to better support people living with diabetes.

November is World Diabetes Awareness month and November 14th has been deemed World Diabetes Day. The date was chosen in honour of Canadian Sir Frederick Banting, who, together with Charles Best discovered insulin, 100 years ago.

Danielle Walwyn is the Advocacy Officer at the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and helps to coordinate its youth arm, Healthy Caribbean Youth. She is also working alongside Xarriah, superhero and member of the HCC People living with NCDS Advisory Committee, to create a space for young people living with NCDS to connect. Send feedback to danielle.walwyn@healthycaribbean.org

The post Caribbean Superheroes – Children and Youth living with Type 1 Diabetes Part 1 appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) continued it’s annual Caribbean Alcohol Reduction Day (CARD) webinar series with a webinar entitled The WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 – Priorities for the Caribbean.  Panelists shared global and regional updates reflecting on the challenges and opportunities to build momentum around Caribbean alcohol policy within the framework of the Global Alcohol Action Plan.

The HCC and partners have held an annual Caribbean Alcohol Reduction Day for the past 6 years, under the themes and titles: The Misuse of Alcohol (2016); Drink less, Reduce Cancer (2017); Youth: Let’s talk about alcohol (2018);  Women and Alcohol (2019),  Alcohol and COVID-19 (2020) and Live Better, Drink Less: Challenges and Opportunities in the Caribbean (2021) .

This year’s webinar was entitled The WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 – Priorities for the Caribbean.

The objectives of the 7th Caribbean Alcohol Reduction Day webinar were:

1. To provide an overview of the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 and implications for key stakeholders globally and regionally.
2. To provide an update on regional progress in alcohol policy development and implementation including discussion of barriers and opportunities.
3. To discuss regional priorities for alcohol policy action within the framework of the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 in order to inform a civil society position paper targeting the region’s policymakers entitled: The WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 – Priorities for the Caribbean.

The webinar took the form of a series of brief presentations followed by a panel discussion.

• Introduction: Maisha Hutton HCC Executive Director, Professor Rohan Maharaj, HCC Alcohol Policy Advisor, Professor of Family Medicine of University of the West Indies
• Presentations: Moderator, Maisha Hutton
• ‘WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 – Perspectives from the Region of the Americas’  including a look at PAHO’so #LiveBetterTakeAction campaign and Pahola, PAHOs first digital specialist on alcohol use – Dr. Maristela Monteiro, Senior Advisor on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO
• Global Perspectives on the WHO Alcohol Action Plan 2022 – 2030 – Mr. Øystein Bakke, Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA); Senior Adviser, Alcohol, Drugs and Development FORUT, Campaign for Development and Solidarity
• Alcohol Policy in the Caribbean Update – Professor Rohan Maharaj, HCC Alcohol Policy Advisor, Professor of Family Medicine of University of the West Indies
• Jamaica National Alcohol Policy – Michael A . Tucker, Executive Director, National Council on Drug Abuse, Jamaica
• Presentation of Priorities – Maisha Hutton HCC Executive Director
• Panel Discussion: Regional priorities for alcohol policy action within the framework of the Action Plan 2022-2030: Moderator – Maisha Hutton
• Closing & Thanks: Maisha Hutton and Professor Rohan Maharaj

Maisha Hutton
HCC Executive Director

Professor Rohan Maharaj
HCC Alcohol Policy Advisor, Professor of Family Medicine of University of the West Indies

Dr. Maristela Monteiro
Senior Advisor on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO

Mr. Øystein Bakke
Department of Institutional Research, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, West Indies

Michael A . Tucker
Executive Director, National Council on Drug Abuse, Jamaica

View the flyer here

The HCC and partners have held an annual Caribbean Alcohol Reduction Days (CARD) since 2016 you can find details of the other CARD days here.

The post 7th Caribbean Alcohol Reduction Day (CARD) 2022 appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

The funding will strengthen vaccine production capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Medscape Medical News