The Physiotherapy Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has received a near $4 000 boost to its capability to treat patients.

The aid package, which was donated by the Rotaract Club of South Barbados on Wednesday, is comprised of 15 folding walkers with wheels, seven Transcutaneous Electrical Nervous Stimulations (TENS) units to assist with pain management, and two exercise band kits.

The club’s immediate past president Graham Belle said the contribution was made possible through funds raised during the organisation’s annual Karting for Charity event.

He said the QEH was chosen as the chief beneficiary following a needs assessment conducted with the Physiotherapy Department.

Senior physiotherapist Dr Lynn Morris, who accepted the assistance package, said the equipment was critical to meet the increasing demand of patients seeking rehabilitation.

President of the Barbados Physiotherapy Association Stacey Boyce, meanwhile, expressed concern about an emerging trend of arthritis becoming more prevalent among younger people.

However, she gave the assurance that with the donation, the hospital was in a better position to help those requiring treatment for arthritis.

Arthritis is inflammation of the joint, and the two most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The donation was made during Physiotherapy Week which concludes on Saturday.

To mark the week starting on September 3, the Barbados Physiotherapy Association hosted several activities, including an open day on the ground floor corridor of the QEH. It is preparing for more activities on World Physiotherapy Day on Friday. (EJ/PR)

The post QEH’s physiotherapy department gets donation to help rehab patients appeared first on Barbados Today.

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Santo Domingo.- Epidemiologist Carlos Manuel Félix, who works at the Robert Reid Cabral Children’s Hospital, has expressed his concerns about the approach to combating dengue in the Dominican Republic. He argues that fumigation, a common method used to combat the disease, is not an effective solution and can even create harm.

Félix explains that fumigation is not beneficial because it can lead to dengue resistance to the insecticides used. Fumigation is typically applied during specific times of a dengue epidemic to target adult mosquitoes, but if applied during rainy periods, it may have no effect.

He also believes that fumigation is often used as a desperate measure to create the impression that action is being taken, rather than as a genuinely effective strategy to combat the disease.

Félix emphasizes that the key to controlling dengue is prevention, specifically preventing the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the vector responsible for transmitting the disease. He calls for a national policy involving all institutions to eliminate dengue incidence in all provinces of the country.

The Dominican Republic has been experiencing a surge in dengue cases, with Santo Domingo Norte being a hotspot for infections. The Hugo Mendoza Hospital, a children’s center, has seen a high number of reported cases and has expanded its capacity to accommodate patients with feverish symptoms.

Santo Domingo.- Despite the recent reporting of 758 new dengue cases in the past week, bringing the total suspected cases to over 6,000 so far this year, the Ministry of Public Health authorities have issued a warning that the worst may still be ahead. They anticipate that the epidemic outbreak is likely to continue rising for the next four weeks.

Both the Minister of Public Health, Daniel Rivera, and the Vice Minister of Collective Health, Eladio Pérez, emphasized that the government alone cannot combat the disease. They have called upon families and communities to collaborate in eliminating containers that serve as breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that transmit the disease.

Pérez noted that the country is currently experiencing an epidemic outbreak, and the prevailing climatic conditions, characterized by intense heat and rainfall, are expected to contribute to a continued rise in cases. Therefore, the primary focus should be on preventing the creation of mosquito breeding sites.

The report provided by the Vice Minister of Collective Health indicates that dengue serotypes 2 and 3 are circulating in the country, with the latter not having been observed since 2019. Approximately 77.8% of reported cases are in individuals under 19 years of age, and around 42% of suspected dengue patients are being treated in five major health centers, including the Hugo Mendoza and Robert Reid Cabral pediatric hospitals, Jaime Mota, Plaza de la Salud, and the Unión Médica clinic.

Around 70% of the cases are concentrated in Greater Santo Domingo, with the Santo Domingo Norte municipality being the most affected. Santiago is the second province with the highest number of cases.

The country currently reports an incidence rate of 44.31 cases of dengue per 100,000 inhabitants, which is lower than other countries in the region also experiencing significant dengue outbreaks, where the incidence surpasses 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

They urged the population to inspect their surroundings and eliminate objects such as rubber and plastic containers, lids, and eggshells that accumulate rainwater and serve as breeding sites for mosquitoes. Additionally, they recommended covering and chlorinating water storage tanks used for domestic purposes.

It was noted that more than half of the patients requiring hospitalization typically exhibit alarming symptoms, including vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and fever.

The specialist highlights that not all sudden deaths are due to heart attacks, so it is essential to undergo periodic preventive and/or control evaluations for underlying diseases in some individuals.

“Sudden deaths can be prevented. In people under 35 years of age, the most common cause is usually congenital heart disease, either electrical (arrhythmias) or anatomical, while, in those over 35 years of age, it is more common for it to be due to a heart attack,” she explains.

She adds that it is important to distinguish between a heart attack, which occurs when an artery in the heart is blocked due to factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and smoking, and sudden death itself, which refers to the sudden cessation of vital signs or cardiac arrest.

Among the recommendations she offers to prevent sudden death are undergoing preventive evaluations from an early age (consulting a pediatric cardiologist before the age of 17 and transitioning to an adult cardiologist afterward), not minimizing symptoms, paying attention to them, and seeking medical advice. Additionally, for overall cardiovascular health, it is recommended to reduce alcohol consumption, exercise 3 to 4 times a week, get 7 to 9 hours of sleep, reduce the consumption of foods high in saturated fats, excess sugar, and salt, manage stress with appropriate tools, avoid smoking in any form, and undergo preventive evaluations before engaging in exercises or sports, among other measures.

According to the CEMDOE specialist, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases can be modified, such as not smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight, knowing your cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight numbers, among others, or non-modifiable factors such as sex, age, race, or hereditary genetics. Therefore, they must be detected in time to understand one’s medical history and prevent complications.

The Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI)-funded Enhancing Community Wellness Project, which aims to reduce the prevalence of chronic health conditions in 150 participants was officially launched August 30 at 3t EnerMech, Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD). This project is being led by the Roraima Learning Trust (RLT) and aims to reduce the prevalence of chronic health ...

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic has a significant issue with trauma-related morbidity and mortality, particularly affecting the working-age population, and holds a troubling global ranking for traffic accident-related fatalities.

To address this concern, the social entrepreneurship project #TraumaRD, along with the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University and the Dominican Academy of Medicine, is leading the “Dominican Trauma Week” initiative.

The campaign aims to foster collaboration among academia, public, and private sectors to tackle the significant public health challenge posed by traumas and accidents.

Dr. Amado Alejandro Báez, an expert in emergency medicine and trauma critical care, is a key figure behind TraumaRD and Trauma Week, emphasizing the urgency of addressing trauma as a critical problem impacting Dominican public health.

Dr. Báez invites all Dominicans to participate by sharing personal stories, ideas, and solutions on social media using the hashtags #SemanaDeTraumaRD and #TRaumaWeekDR.

The Dominican Trauma Week 2023, organized by Drs. Luis Taveras, Alejandro Soto, and Marino Estrella include various activities throughout the week of September 4-10, 2023.

Activities include press and social media circuits, a virtual presentation on Road Accident Reduction, a Bleeding Control Course (Stop the Bleed), and a presentation of cases related to trauma surgery, emergencies, and critical care.

The week also involves the launch of the Dr. Tito Suero Portoreal Trauma Research Contest and an International Panel of Experts TraumaRD / SODOEM focused on solutions for trauma and accidents as a public health imperative.

Prominent panelists include Dr. Amado Alejandro Báez representing TraumaRD, Dr. Josué Hernández from SNS hospital emergencies, Dr. Ruddy de Gracia in charge of Prehospital care of the National Health Service (SNS), Dr. Luis Loro, President of ALACED, Dr. Víctor Rosario, Representative of the Dominican Society of Orthopedics, and Dr. Ouel Sosa, Representative of the Dominican College of Surgeons.

The overarching goal is to raise awareness and promote solutions for improving public health outcomes in the Dominican Republic related to trauma and accidents.

“Current weather models indicate relatively high temperatures (above 31.7℃), light winds and low rainfall at least for the next 3 days”

View the full post Heatwave advisory message to parents/guardians on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo.- The President of the Dominican Medical College (CMD), Senén Caba, has expressed deep concern about the dengue situation in the country, describing it as “out of control.” He criticized the government’s response to the issue and emphasized that the surge in dengue cases during this time of year due to rain was a predictable scenario. Caba also warned that leptospirosis and malaria could follow suit, as the CMD had previously indicated. As of August 28, there have been 5,145 registered cases of dengue, excluding the latest week’s data.

Caba suggested that instead of conducting fumigation campaigns in areas with high dengue incidence, the Ministry of Public Health should have immediately engaged various institutions with large groups, such as the Armed Forces, universities, National Police, and schools, to promote actions like clearing vacant lots, removing makeshift landfills, and disposing of waste. He criticized what he perceived as political motives and business interests overshadowing the genuine response to the health crisis.

He noted the increasing hospitalizations due to dengue cases and mentioned that specialists had informed him of the situation being out of control. He specifically cited the case of a private clinic in the eastern zone with more than 20 admissions in a week. Caba also lamented the focus on curative hospital care instead of prioritizing quality primary care and prevention.

Caba stressed that while dengue affects everyone, it disproportionately impacts the poor. He criticized the lack of emphasis on prevention, education, and promotion by the social security system, despite legal obligations. He highlighted that these diseases are preventable with modest investments and political determination.

Concluding his statement, Caba pointed out the need for responsible resource usage by minimizing unnecessary printing to protect the environment.

The 154-year-old Psychiatric Hospital, Berbice would be closed eventually, and provision made to accommodate mentally ill patients at a new New Amsterdam Hospital that would be constructed, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said.l “Over time, the current facilities that we have in New Amsterdam, we’ll be closing those facilities,” he told the opening of a ...