(AlJazeera) – Air pollution impacts every stage of human life from foetal development and the cognitive abilities of teenagers to adult mental health, according to a report that synthesises the findings of more than 35,000 studies from around the world.

The Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London published the review on Monday of a decade of scientific studies into air pollution.

The London university team looked at findings from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UK Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution, the Royal College of Physicians, the Health Effects Institute and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

“The most important new finding is evidence related to both the impact of air pollution on brain health, including mental health and dementia, and early life impacts that could lead to future health burdens within the population,” the report said.

“Both represent significant, but currently unquantified costs to society and the economy,” it added.

The review found links between air pollution and the health of newborns in the first weeks of life, birth weight, miscarriages and stillbirths.

The fetus could be vulnerable because a mother might inhale air pollution particles, leading to adverse effects on development, the report read.

Chemicals associated with pollution can enter a pregnant woman’s blood, altering its flow, which could potentially slow or delay foetal growth.

More than 20 million babies with low birth weights are born every year and more than 15 million are born prematurely, according to the WHO.

But the impact of air pollution on reproductive health is not restricted to the mother. Lower volumes of sperm are also seen in men exposed to air pollution.

Meanwhile, another study mentioned in the report suggests “exposure to particle pollution” increases the risk of developing dementia and accelerates cognitive decline.

Recent studies also showed that air pollution could hamper lung growth in children, affect their blood pressure and impact their cognitive and mental health.

The experts at Imperial said research on 2,000 children aged eight and nine found “on average, a child had lost around 5 percent of their expected lung volume because of the air pollution that they breathed.”

“This effect was most clearly linked with exposure to NO2 [nitrogen oxide], which is often used as a tracer for the diesel exhaust emissions,” their report said.

The report also found that air pollution causes asthma.

From 2017 to 2019, a study by Imperial College London estimated that London’s poor air quality led to more than 1,700 hospital admissions for asthma and serious lung conditions.

“This was 7 percent of all asthma admissions in children in the capital,” the report said.

The review also showed that exposure to air pollution can increase cardiac death, stroke risk and the development of cardiovascular disease later in life.

A European study considered stroke in nearly 100,000 people over a 10-year period and found some evidence of an association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 – which are very small air pollution particles that can pass beyond the nose and throat and enter the respiratory system – and stroke, especially among people over 60.

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The symposium focuses on violence as a health issue

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The Paediatric Department and the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic of the QEH are benefitting from a donation of US$5,000 by Trinity Church Wall Street, Manhattan, New York.

The cheque was recently presented to Dr Angela Jennings, Head of Paediatrics, by Earl Phillips of the Barbados Support Group, NY.

Both departments will use the money for IT support. Psychologists in Paediatrics will utilise items to assist in the evaluation of children with a variety of psychological disorders, while the OG clinic will purchase computers to improve health information management and communication workflows.

The money was channelled in these areas following requests from the respective departments from Dr. Jennings and former QEH employee, Acting Operations Manager Terri-Anne Moore-Knowles.

The idea for a donation from Trinity to aid health care in Barbados came from parishioner Barbadian Barbara Inniss. It was coordinated by Consul General of Barbados Mackie Holder and facilitated by Dr. Oneall Parris of Barbados Diaspora Collaborative USA (BDC USA) Inc.

CG Holder said the effort by Ms. Inniss was yet another example of Barbadians looking out for their country and praised her tenacity in making sure Barbados benefitted from the charitable donations of her church.

He said that, due to church regulations, it took some time to finalise the contribution, which involved three different players, but the end result underscored what collaboration in the Barbadian community can deliver. 

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The Minister of Health, Daniel Rivera, said: “Health is happiness, what is sadness is illness. This day comes to celebrate a change of lifestyle, here there are more than 30 services available to the community so that they can take advantage, approach and know how their health is, because prevention is paramount”.

The official said that in this province, the study on Overweight, Obesity, Diabetes, and Hypertension (Sodhip) showed as a result 33.2% in hypertension, overweight and obesity 75.1% (above the national average of 72%), and 10.4% in hyperglycemia.

He said this demarcation has high indicators. Therefore, they must work to change and care for their health, avoiding diseases.

Rivera urged citizens to practice sports or physical activities, eat healthy foods, fruits, and vegetables, and reduce sugar, salt, and saturated fat consumption so that, in the long term, they can avoid chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

From the early morning hours, the minister offered general consultation, cardiometabolic evaluation, orientations, and referrals to those seeking medical attention.

“Prevention, promotion and education is what can benefit a country the most and lead it to be healthy. We want everyone to participate in the Health Route, here there are more than 35 services, thanks to the people who have come from all over West Santiago and for joining us,” he said.

On his side, the president of the Senate of the Republic, Eduardo Estrella, congratulated this action and highlighted the importance of the investment in the Health sector that the Government is making.

“It is an honor to be in this activity, the 21st, precisely in Santiago Oeste, where President Abinader has put his eyes, he has put them on the health sector in the Dominican Republic. The proof is the investment in medicines that is being made, more than 7 million 200 thousand Dominicans affiliated to the Health Insurance, the investment in repair and reconstruction of hospitals, which were left in neglect, that is called investing in the people, in the lowest, that is to defend the Dominican people, that is why this day is not only palliative but preventive,” said Estrella.

Meanwhile, the Civil Governor of Santiago, Rosa Santos, said that changing habits is a complex but necessary act.

“This activity is to change our physical condition and to be able to perform daily activities, which aims to strengthen the health of the Dominican people, so, I call for them to support and take advantage of these services that are here for their improvement, because today health is in our territory,” she said.

Among the authorities who gave support to this version are: the executive director of the National Health Insurance (Senasa), Santiago Hazim; Adolfo Pérez, director of Promese; Marieta Díaz, regional director of Education; Ulises Rodríguez, general director of Proindustria; Samuel Azcona, regional director of the Cibao Central National Police; Andrés Cueto, general manager of Edenorte, among other personalities.

According to Public Health, more than 170,000 Dominican families have been impacted through the different editions of the Health Routes and their services, which include: pediatrics, dentistry, general medicine, gynecology, ophthalmology, as well as clinical laboratory, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, glycemia, mammography, sonomammography, sonography, prostate evaluation, and PSA tests, blood typing and donation, Senasa carding and delivery of medicines.

Yesterday, April 14, was World Chagas Disease Day, a disease transmitted by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite mainly affecting poor Latin American populations.

Facts and figures
According to the World Health Organization, Chagas disease, also called American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially fatal disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi).

The disease occurs mainly in endemic areas of 21 countries in Latin America, where it is transmitted to humans and other mammals mainly by the feces or urine of triatomines (vectorial route), known as vinchucas, bedbugs, or by many different names, depending on the geographic area.

Initially, Chagas disease was confined to rural areas of the Region of the Americas (except for the Caribbean islands). However, due mainly to increased population mobility in recent decades, most infected persons now live in urban settings, and cases have been increasingly detected in the United States of America and Canada, in many countries in Europe, and in some countries in Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Pacific.

Transmission
In Latin America, the T. cruzi parasite is transmitted mainly by contact with the infected feces or urine of blood-feeding triatomine bugs. In rural and suburban areas, these insects usually live in cracks and holes in the walls and roofs of houses and outdoor structures, such as chicken coops, corrals, and warehouses. They typically remain hidden during the day and become active at night to feed on the blood of mammals, including humans. They generally bite on exposed areas of the skin, such as the face, and defecate/urinate near the bite. The parasites enter the body when the person bitten instinctively rubs, causing feces or urine to come into contact with the bite, eyes, mouth, or an open skin lesion.

The T. cruzi parasite can also be transmitted:

Chagas
By consuming food contaminated by the parasite through contact with, for example, infected triatomine, marsupial feces, or urine. This type of transmission usually results in outbreaks with more severe morbidity and higher mortality;
by transmission from the infected mother to her child during pregnancy or childbirth;
by transfusion of blood or blood products from infected donors;
organ transplantation from an infected person; and
laboratory accidents.

Signs and symptoms
Chagas disease has two phases. Initially, the acute phase lasts about two months after infection. During this critical phase, although a large number of parasites circulate in the bloodstream, in most cases, there are no symptoms or symptoms that are mild and non-specific. In less than 50% of people bitten by a triatomine bug, a characteristic initial sign may be a skin lesion or a purplish swelling of an eyelid. In addition, such persons may present with fever, headache, enlarged lymph nodes, pallor, muscle aches, breathing difficulties, swelling, and abdominal or chest pain.

During the chronic phase, the parasites remain hidden mainly in the heart and digestive muscles. One to three decades later, up to one-third of patients suffer from cardiac disorders, and one in ten have digestive (typically, enlargement of the esophagus or colon), neurological, or mixed disorders. Over the years, the infection may cause sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias or progressive heart failure due to the destruction of the innervations of the heart muscle and the muscle itself.

Treatment
Chagas disease can be treated with benznidazole or nifurtimox, which kills the parasite. Both drugs are fully effective in curing the disease if given at the onset of infection in the acute stage, including cases of congenital transmission. However, their efficacy decreases with time, and adverse reactions are more frequent at older ages. Therefore, treatment with these drugs is also indicated in case of reactivation of infection (e.g., due to immunosuppression) and in patients at the beginning of the chronic phase, including girls and women of childbearing age (before or after pregnancy) to prevent congenital transmission.

Treatment should be offered to infected adults, especially those without symptoms, as deworming may prevent or slow disease progression. In other cases, the potential benefits of medication in preventing or delaying the progression of Chagas disease must be weighed against the prolonged duration of treatment (up to two months) and possible adverse reactions (which occur in up to 40% of treated patients). Benznidazole and nifurtimox should not be administered to pregnant women or persons with renal or hepatic insufficiency. Nifurtimox is also contraindicated in persons with a history of neurological or psychiatric disorders. In addition, specific treatment for cardiac, digestive, or neurological manifestations may be necessary.

Control and prevention
Because of the large number of wild animals that serve as reservoirs for the T. cruzi parasite in the Americas, the infection cannot be eradicated. Instead, control objectives are to eliminate transmission and to ensure that the infected and sick population has early access to health care.

There is no vaccine against Chagas disease. The T. cruzi parasite can infect many species of triatomines, most of which are found in the Region of the Americas. Vector control has been the most effective method of prevention in this region. Blood screening is necessary to prevent infection through blood transfusion and organ transplantation and to improve the detection and care of the affected population worldwide.

Depending on the geographical area, WHO recommends the following prevention and control methods:

spraying of houses and their surroundings with residual insecticides;
improvement of houses and their cleanliness to prevent vector infestation;
personal preventive measures, such as the use of mosquito nets, good hygienic practices in the preparation, transport, storage, and consumption of food;
development of contextualized information, education, and communication activities for the different actors and scenarios on preventive measures and surveillance tools;
screening of donated blood;
screening tests on donated organs, tissues, or cells and their recipients;
access to diagnosis and treatment for those for whom deworming is indicated or recommended, especially children and women of childbearing age before pregnancy; and
screening of newborns and children of infected mothers who have not previously received deworming treatment for early diagnosis and treatment.

View the full post Raising minimum wage to alleviate food insecurity on NOW Grenada.

If it’s nice outside, Crichlow will walk his client, who is nonverbal and in a wheelchair half the time, down three flights of stairs, hauling the wheelchair back and forth separately.

A 49-year-old Trinidadian who lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Crichlow works for St. Nicholas Alliance Home Care, where he earns between $17-$18 per hour. His client likes it when Crichlow imitates Mojo Jojo, a character from the TV series “The Powerpuff Girls,” or tries out Cardi B’s signature catchphrase, “Okurr.” “I do different characters that make him laugh. As long as he’s happy, I’m happy,” Crichlow said.

Read the rest…

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Women with mental health and addiction issues are knocking on the doors of the Substance Abuse Foundation Inc.’s (SAF) Marina House treatment facility for help.

However, many of them have had to delay the start of treatment because they do not have a support system to adequately care for their children while they are at the New Castle, St John residential facility, according to Senior Mental Health and Addiction Counsellor with SAF, Letitia Wiltshire.

“There is a 100 per cent huge demand for our services and that has actually increased post-COVID. The issues are still there with regards to our women and the child care challenges a lot of them have. Yes, they may need the help with their addiction but they also do not want to leave their children,” said Wiltshire who explained this was why Marina House has previously partnered with the Women of Purpose organisation to provide the resources to allow a mother to have her child with her while accessing treatment.

She appealed to other agencies and charitable organisations to assist women in this position who were seeking to beat drug, sex and gambling addictions.

The counsellor stressed that a significant aspect of the healing process for mothers seeking addiction counselling was having the peace of mind that their children were being well taken care of.

“The women also need the assistance of their family members and those community members who are open to fostering a child for a period of time. We know that it is a big ask of the community; a lot of people would not feel comfortable engaging children who are not their own. But at the end of the day, it takes a village to raise a child and if one of us is sick then, unfortunately, the child can also eventually be sick. When one person with an addiction is sick, it impacts several other persons within that family, so you can do the maths.

“We have a facility that houses 16 women, so if you do the maths and you multiply that by seven, you see how many people are impacted by just one woman not being able to get the help that she needs,” she said.

Wiltshire spoke about the issue during an interview with the media on Tuesday, following the launch of the Rotary Club of Barbados’ Save, Spend, Thrive: Empowering Women Through Financial Wellness initiative, at the Christies Conference Room at the Barbados Light & Power Company, Garrison, St Michael.

“We have dealt with women who have substance abuse issues, women who have challenges with sex addiction, there are women who have challenges with gambling,” she said, noting many women had reached out during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were going through “a depressive phase” and “coming out of COVID, it is still there”.

“So we also deal with self-esteem issues and we are also helping persons with depression. Whatever the need is in terms of mental health we are there to provide that assistance,” the SAF counsellor said.

Wiltshire also noted that given the reported increase in domestic violence cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marina House had housed several women waiting to be admitted to the shelter for battered women.

“We would never turn our backs on someone who needs assistance, regardless of what the challenges are. We are going to try to help them to fill that gap until they can get to where they need,” she said.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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