The skin is the largest organ in our bodies. It is the first layer of defence against the outside world and can communicate various hints about our overall health. Your skin provides protection against the invasion of bacteria, nerve endings to indicate if something is too hot or sharp and sweat glands to control your temperature. It also contains cells that turn sunlight into vitamin D.

Taking good care of your skin allows it to take good care of you. This includes what you put inside your body or on your skin and your everyday health practices. You should also be paying attention to your skin and its changes, this will ensure that if you have any adverse reaction such as hives, a rash, skin discolouration or an abnormal growth such as a mole, wart or lump, you are able to identify if your skin is having a reaction. Resources such as teledermatology serve as the perfect starting point towards diagnosing an illness of the skin.

What is teledermatology

Teledermatology is one of the most popular applications of telemedicine. Telemedicine is the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients through digital technology with teledermatology focusing on skin disorders or conditions.

Through telemedicine platforms, such as MDLink, patients can access dermatology care via video call, audio call or text through the comfort and convenience of their personal locations. Since most skin conditions are visible they are easier to assess through these virtual means. Dermatologists are then able to expand their reach to patients using the resources available to them via telemedicine.

Skin conditions such as acne, eczema, herpes, viral warts, bacterial and fungal infections of the skin and irritant dermatitis are fairly easy to treat via telemedicine.

This is typically done by sending photos or video footage of the condition to your dermatologist online.

The following are some benefits of teledermatology in treating patients.

1) Increased efficiency and convenience for dermatology treatment through decreased wait periods and instant access. Often you have to wait long periods to see a specialist in person, teledermatology provides you with immediate access to a dermatologist.

2) Patients in rural areas gain expanded access to dermatology care that is not readily available to them where they are without the time and inconvenience of travel.

3) Fast and convenient access to referrals for second opinions and prescriptions for further diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions.

4) If during your telemedicine consultation your dermatologist thinks you need a lab test, such as a biopsy, they are able to send you a lab form to get the test done without you having to visit their office.

5) Telemedicine platforms such as MDLink that offer teledermatology allow you to send your personal information to your doctors on a private, safe and encrypted platform. You need not worry about the photos shared of your skin concerns or any other medical information provided being accessed by anyone outside of the professionals running this platform.

Tips for maintaining healthy skin

The following are 10 ways you can take extra care of your skin to ensure it is healthy.

1) Protect your skin from the sun — use sunscreen daily (SPF 30-50 is recommended), wear protective clothing and avoid direct sunlight during periods of intense sun.

2) Eat a healthy diet — skin-healthy foods such as fruits high in antioxidants (eg mangoes, berries) and vegetables high in water content (eg lettuce, celery) are great ways to get your skin looking and feeling its best.

3) Stay hydrated — Having dry skin and frequent breakouts are signs that your skin is dehydrated. Staying hydrated, specifically drinking loads of water, allows your body to flush out toxins and avoid dehydration.

4) Stop smoking — smoking depletes the skin of oxygen causing your skin to look paler and thinner.

5) Avoid high alcohol consumption — alcohol quickly dehydrates you and may put you at higher risk for illness. This may cause your skin to be dull and wrinkly.

6) Treat your skin gently — avoid using harmful substances on your skin, or water that is too hot and ensure you keep your skin moisturised.

7) Manage your stress levels — uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger breakouts.

8) Get enough sleep — adequate sleep will limit dark circles and a pale complexion. Poor sleepers tend to have premature skin ageing and limited ability to repair from environmental stressors such as sun damage.

9) Pay attention to your skin — Paying attention to your skin allows you to notice when something may be off. If you do not examine your skin in the mirror or during your showers, you may not notice a new growth, unusual rash or discolouration until it's too late.

10) See a dermatologist if anything is off — if you do notice a lesion, rash, bump, strange discolouration or any other sign of changes to your skin it may be an indicator of a more serious illness. Cancers, allergies, lupus, diabetes and many other illnesses have skin changes as key symptoms which can point toward a full diagnosis. Through Teledermatology as your first step, your dermatologist can assess your skin and any other symptoms to guide both diagnosis and treatment.

It is crucial that we understand the importance of our skin to our overall health. Healthy skin is a sign of a healthy body. However, sometimes our skins may communicate with us a bigger problem in our bodies and we should pay keen attention to changes that happen. Teledermatology provides a quick, convenient and accessible outlet for you to take care of your skin and treat or diagnose any further illnesses. MDLink has hand-picked dermatologists available at your convenience to tend to any skin concern you may have.

Dr Ché Bowen, a digital health entrepreneur and family physician, is the CEO & founder of MDLink, a digital health company that provides telemedicine options. Check out the company's website at
www.theMDLink.com
. You can also contact him at
drchebowen@themdlink.com
.

Santo Domingo, DR
The lungs are observed to be more affected in patients with influenza who come to seek medical attention in the country.

This was revealed to Listín Diario by pulmonologist Evangelina Soler, who explained that the disease affects the population of all ages but with greater emphasis on children and most adults.

She said that compared to 2020 and 2021, this year, there has been a significant increase in cases of influenza in the Dominican population, which she attributes to the fact that in those two previous years, people used masks to protect themselves from Covid-19 and this year they stopped using them.

“In the behavior of the virus, we see different from the years prior to the pandemic is that the cases are with greater pulmonary affection, and there is a higher incidence of cases of people with the virus,” said the former specialist president of the Dominican Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery.

The fact, she added, that during those two years, the population was not vaccinated against the virus may be contributing to a more significant increase in the number of cases of influenza.

Earlier

Another big difference we have observed is that previously the highest number of influenza cases occurred between November, December, January, and February; this significant increase has been observed since October.

He recalled that influenza manifests itself with fever, headache and body aches, general malaise, and dry cough; patients are presenting diarrhea or retro ocular pain and compromised upper airways. Occasionally, he said, influenza symptoms are also associated with pneumonia outbreaks.

He urged the most at-risk population to vaccinate and protect themselves to avoid contagion.

The country has available the vaccine against seasonal influenza A (H1N1), A (H3N2), and type B influenza in fixed vaccination posts, which began to be applied on October 10.

The vaccination is being directed to groups at higher risk of complications in case of infection by the virus, such as the elderly, children under two years of age, pregnant women, health workers, and people with primary diseases.

The State has 475 thousand doses which are applied free of charge. Up to the beginning of the week, 53,524 doses of seasonal influenza vaccines had been administered, with the population over 65 years of age being the most vaccinated.

The cases of children with flu increased three times more in the last weeks, had revealed in October by the president of the Association of Clinics and Private Hospitals (Andeclip), Rafael Mena.

An UPDATE on the Regional Standard for Labelling of Pre-Packaged Foods

The Fate of Front of Packaging Warning Labelling in CARICOM

Since September 2022, national representatives have been participating in consultations across the region. The coming weeks and months will be critical for regional public health as we await the outcome of the national deliberations. From a public health perspective, a win is a recommendation to retain the Standard in its current format with the octagonal ‘high in’ warning label as the singular recommended labelling scheme guided by the PAHO nutrient profile model. Will we see a collective reckoning with CARICOM uniting around an agenda that places public health first?  HCC will be working with partners at the regional level and at the national level including Ministries of Health and civil society organisation members, to ensure that the public health perspective is prioritised in the deliberations

For more on Front of Package Warning Labelling please visit our dedicated webpage here.

What is happening right now?

As of early November 2022, across the region, Caribbean countries are once again deliberating on whether or not to support the right of Caribbean citizens to have the best available front of package nutritional labelling model on their packaged foods. Through their local Standards Bureaus, National Mirror Committees in eleven (11) Member States are reviewing the Draft CARICOM Regional Standard for Specification for labelling of pre-packaged foods (DCRS 5:2010) which incorporates specifications for the ‘high-in’ monochromatic octagonal front of package warning label system (OWL) and the PAHO Nutrient Profile Model to guide the thresholds for labelling of pre-packaged foods as ‘high-in’. The Standard meets the highest level of scientific rigor including the selection of the octagonal warning label and the PAHO nutrient profile model. There is a growing body of conflict of interest-free, scientific evidence which consistently supports the OWL as the best labelling model for empowering consumers to easily, correctly and quickly identify unhealthy foods ‘high in’ sodium, fats and sugars.   The OWL is also supported by a 2021 randomized controlled trial of adult shoppers conducted in Jamaica which examined the best performing front-of- package labelling (FOPL). The study was undertaken by the University of Technology, the Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).  The study found that the OWL consistently outperformed other labelling models (magnifying glass, UK traffic light, and GDA facts up front) helping Jamaican consumers to better identify foods ‘high in’ sodium, fats and sugars.

Wasn’t there a vote on this Standard last year? What was the outcome?

Last year, in 2021, all 15 CARICOM Member States were asked to vote on whether or not they approved the then Final Standard (FDCRS 5). Member States could approve, reject or abstain and a 75% vote of approval was needed to trigger escalation to the next stage of the Standard approval process. Ultimately 66% (6/9) of CARICOM countries voted in favour just falling short of the 75% target (6 countries abstained, 3 opposed, and 6 approved the Standard).   The vote was very close – had one of the 9 countries that either abstained or voted against the Standard, voted in favour, then the 75% target would have been achieved.  The inability to achieve consensus stalled the process and thrust it back into the consultations phase, further extending a long and exhaustive consultative period that began in 2018.

Why do we need more consultations? What has changed?

The consultations have recently resumed with Member States now being asked to make recommendations on what should be done with the Standard given the release of a study designed and implemented by the recently formed Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, and the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA).  The CPSO, an Official Associate Institution of CARICOM, represents, amongst other sectors, the region’s food and beverage manufacturing sector. So the national deliberations are now being informed by two studies: the first study was conducted by an academic institution (University of Technology Jamaica) in partnership with national (Ministry of Health and Wellness Jamaica) and regional (PAHO) health authorities. The second study was conducted by a regional private sector umbrella organisation representing national private sector entities including those – the ultra-processed food and beverage sector – with a vested interest in the outcome of the study.

Better Labels, Better Choices, Better Health – why we need strong evidence-based front of package warning labelling

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of sickness, death and disability in the Caribbean. Rates of overweight and obesity are among the highest in the world and most worrying among children where 1 in 3 children and adolescents is living with overweight or obese. Unhealthy diets are a major risk factor contributing to the high rates of obesity and NCDs. Unhealthy diets are fueled by the widespread availability, accessibility, affordability, desirability, and consumption of ultra-processed products which contain high levels of “critical nutrients” of public health concern, namely sugars, total fats, saturated fats, trans fats and sodium.

The OWL empowers consumers of all ages, literacies and those living with NCDs, to quickly identify and avoid foods which are ‘high in’ sodium, fats and sugars.  Other labelling schemes such as the traffic light or the GDA (facts up front) do not present this information.  Instead they tell you the amount of grams of these nutrients (sodium, fats, sugars) and most consumers are unable touse this information to determine if the product is healthy or not, it only allows them to compare between unhealthy products.

Front of package warning labelling is also an enabling foundational policy which allows governments to easily identify those foods and beverage products which need to be regulated (restricted in schools for example) in order to support consumers in making the healthy choice the easy choice.

There is strong regional support for the OWL. Last year HCC, PAHO, the OECS Commission and UNICEF, implemented a regional campaign in support of the octagonal ‘high in’ warning labels – Better Labels, Better Choices, Better Health. The campaign was supported by almost 50 regional organisations and over 340 regional health professionals.

The Fate of the Warning Labelling in CARICOM

Since September 2022, national representatives have been participating in consultations across the region. The coming weeks and months will be critical for regional public health as we await the outcome of the national deliberations. From a public health perspective, a win is a recommendation to retain the Standard in its current format with the octagonal ‘high in’ warning label as the singular recommended labelling scheme guided by the PAHO nutrient profile model. Will we see a collective reckoning with CARICOM uniting around an agenda that places public health first?  HCC will be working with partners at the regional level and at the national level including Ministries of Health and civil society organisation members, to ensure that the public health perspective is prioritised in the deliberations

For more on Front of Package Warning Labelling please visit our dedicated webpage here.

The post The Fate of Front of Packaging Warning Labelling in CARICOM appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

In addition to providing tents, beds, hydration supplies, and antibiotics to deal with any eventuality, Rivera assured that the nation maintains surveillance and total control at the border, where sinks for hand hygiene are still operational at the entry points. The minister emphasized that 10,000 doses of an antibiotic used to treat cholera and prevent leptospirosis were delivered to the nation on October 17 through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). This antibiotic was used in hurricane-affected areas to stop any leptospirosis outbreaks.

Rivera gave the assurance that cholera is prevented and cases of diarrhea that may occur for various reasons are detected on the border with Haiti under strict epidemiological control. The official recalled that while there haven’t been any new cholera cases found, there are potential outbreaks of diarrhea from other causes for which the nation also maintains active surveillance. The Minister of Public Health, in attendance at a meeting with health representatives from the four border points, stated, “No one who has diarrhea can stay at home; they go to the control center, they do the test, and it is detected; the doctors are also prepared to identify it in the clinic.

He emphasized the importance of maintaining good hygiene by urging people to wash their hands frequently, especially after using the restroom, wash canned goods in soap and water before opening them, cook their food thoroughly, and trim their children’s nails to prevent cross-contamination. He recalled that because cholera is a hydration, “if it arrives on time, nothing happens,” it is crucial that anyone experiencing diarrhea visit a medical facility for a diagnosis and treatment.

0 new positive cases; 19 active cases
0 new deaths; 2 new recoveries
38,958 fully vaccinated

View the full post Covid-19 update: Grenada Dashboard 1 November 2022 on NOW Grenada.

The Lupus Symposium is an annual affair organised by the Lupus Foundation of Jamaica, as one of several key events staged for Lupus Awareness Month, observed in October. This year’s focus on reproductive health reflected on the fact that lupus,...

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In a speech at the opening of the new molecular biology lab that will operate at the José Maria Cabral y Báez Regional University Hospital, Rivera made the remark. He stated that the USNS Comfort ship, a mobile hospital with more than 1,000 beds, 30 Intensive Care units, and various medical specialties to attend to the residents of the localities in the south of the country, will arrive in the nation at the end of this month of November in order to continue with this support for the Dominican Republic. 

Dr. Daniel Rivera spoke about the addition of the new molecular biology lab to the already cutting-edge technology used by Cabral and Báez to quickly identify a variety of pathological and viral diseases, including dengue, leptospirosis, HIV, Zika, influenza, and monkeypox. On his side, the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy, ​​Robert Thomas, stated that the US government will continue to support not only economic resources but also technological and scientific resources for the national health system. “I am proud that the Government of the United States has donated more than 17 million dollars to support the response to COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic, financing mobile hospitals, ventilators, personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment, training in health, support for vaccination campaigns against COVID-19, efforts to strengthen the health system and more,” said Thomas.

While the general director of Cabral y Báez, Dr. Bernardo Hilario, stressed that the new Molecular Biology Laboratory comes at an opportune time because it increases the demand for reliable tests by citizens.

ancer prevention. “That’s not a cancer registry, we pool skip data every two or three years.” Puello argued that the Dominican Republic needed a permanent registry that could compile information going back at least five years.

According to Incart’s statistics, 149 patients with breast cancer received care at the facility in 2021, 147 of whom were women and two were men. There is a resolution that establishes the national cancer registry, Vice Ministry of Collective Health Director Yocastia de Jesus stated. Its implementation is still pending, and the Ministry of Health is preparing for it to begin. All of the equipment and personnel training have already been purchased.

De Jesus announced that it will go into effect “as soon as possible” and that the launch of the oncology network, which will gather information at both the public and private levels, will coincide with its implementation. A cancer registry’s significance “lies in knowing what the statistics are at the national level,” according to the authors. According to the official, “without statistics, we wouldn’t be able to know what the cost-effectiveness of treatments would be or what prevention tools we should develop, not only for breast cancer but for all types of cancer.”