This year, SADO is joining with partners to host the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on 26 October 2024 from the Plains Playing Field to Sauteurs Bus Terminal, from 3 pm

View the full post SADO’s Breast Cancer Walk on NOW Grenada.

President Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced an almost US$50 million (GY$10 billion) cash-injection into the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) so that contributors who have not met the required number of contributions could still receive payments. Addressing a National Assembly sitting for several hours, Dr Ali also announced a one-off US$960 cash grant (GY$200,000) to each ...

The pharmacy at the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic in Warrens, St Michael, will be closed this Friday, October 11, to facilitate the rollout of the Barbados Drug Service’s (BDS) new Pharmacy Management System that is expected to result in an improvement in patient records management, treatment, and pharmaceutical health care and safety.

It will reopen on Monday, October 14, when the system is fully implemented. The pharmacy at Eunice Gibson is one of many pharmacies under the aegis of the BDS, in addition to the Psychiatric Hospital Pharmacy, which will have scheduled closures until Monday, October 28.

On the dates of the closures, clients may access pharmaceutical services at any polyclinic pharmacy or outpatient clinic pharmacy. All clients are reminded that they must present their Barbados ID card to access pharmaceutical services.

Clients who need refill medications must present their medication containers to facilitate the refill process. Persons are likely to experience a temporary increase in wait times for pharmaceutical services for approximately four weeks.

The management of the Drug Service regrets any inconvenience which may be caused and encourages members of the public to arrange their business accordingly.

(BGIS)

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View the full post PM calls off Rwanda trip due to Marburg virus disease outbreak on NOW Grenada.

View the full post Take extra precautions to curb spread of dengue on NOW Grenada.

The 131-year-old Psychiatric Hospital is set to undergo a rebranding as part of efforts to reduce the stigma preventing people from accessing mental health services, Director of the Psychiatric Hospital David Leacock revealed exclusively to Barbados TODAY.

Health authorities are aiming to ensure that the facility, the island’s sole main provider of mental healthcare, becomes more welcoming to those in need.

Leacock revealed that preliminary discussions have already taken place between the Ministry of Health and the hospital’s management.

“The minister himself, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness [Davidson Ishmael], would have raised this matter with us a few weeks or months ago, having the need for us to more or less, improve access to services from our end, because of the idea of it not carrying that longstanding stigma associated with being the hospital and where it came from,” he said.

He acknowledged that, despite efforts to encourage people to seek help regardless of where they access it, negative associations with the Psychiatric Hospital persist.

“That’s understandable, but it is something we are definitely looking at, and hopefully, in the near future, it would be supported towards a name change,” he added.

The Psychiatric Hospital began in 1893 as the Mental Asylum when it opened on the site of the Jenkinsville plantation in Black Rock.

Successive generations of Barbadians referred to the asylum–later renamed the Mental Hospital and then the Psychiatric Hospital–by its location, ‘Jenkins’ and ‘Black Rock’. The Victorian-era buildings and layout have remained largely unchanged with modest improvements over the intervening years.

Leacock was keen to stress that the planned rebranding is not just about changing the name.

“The idea of a name change is not just that, but also bringing awareness to persons about what it is that [the Psychiatric Hospital] does, and hopefully with that, we can get a better understanding of the role that we play, and hopefully some of the issues that they have in seeking care wouldn’t be as many as they are now,” he explained.

The hospital director stressed that the institution will be careful not to reinforce stigma by creating divisions based on socio-economic status. “Yes, we are mindful that persons may say, ‘I am not mentally ill’ and therefore should be seeking services in a place where persons are mentally ill. The reality is that, within our population, a quarter of all persons will experience mental health challenges in their lifetime, whether it be depression, some persons or families will experience mental health challenges,” he pointed out.

Leacock further stressed the importance of avoiding the “re-stigmatisation” of clients who already access the hospital’s services by how new patients are treated.

“We don’t want a situation where, in trying to offer our services, we, in turn, are turning away persons because we create divisions to say that one set of persons is this way, and the next set is that way,” the hospital official said.

He also stated that the Black Rock, St Michael hospital should not be viewed as a last resort or a place of punishment but as a therapeutic environment for individuals in need of assistance. He acknowledged that while the preference is for community-based treatment, some individuals are best served in the hospital setting.

“A large part of what we have been doing in the last three or four years in relation to expansion has been from the community-based standpoint. The posts of psychologists, social workers, and a medical doctor have augmented our community services, and that has seen a very high increase in the number of persons being seen at the community level. I have seen a high level of persons who have seen either the doctors or the nurses,” he said.

Despite the growth of community services, Leacock admitted that admissions to the Psychiatric Hospital have also increased. He revealed that the institution has been actively engaged in public awareness campaigns to address the mental health challenges faced by at-risk youth and the wider population.

Calls for the rebranding of the hospital have also come from external sources. Last week, Shaquani Hunte, the new president of the Young Democrats and a youth representative on the Democratic Labour Party’s Crime Commission, made a similar proposal during a special youth edition meeting of the commission. Hunte highlighted the need to address the mental health crisis among young people and noted that stigma often prevents them from seeking help, even when they are able to articulate the pressures they face.

At a 2022 inquest into the shooting death of a mentally disturbed man in 2016, the coroner Graveney Bannister recommended that the Psychiatric Hospital be renamed and rebranded to erase the stigma associated with the mental hospital.

“It is unfortunate in Barbados the stigma that is attached to mental health illnesses for persons with mental health. For some reason, people do not want to go to the Psychiatric Hospital because of that stigma.

“I would recommend that the place be given a remake – a new name, a new ethos, maybe call it a wellness institution as we have seen in other jurisdictions instead of calling it the Psychiatric Hospital. . . . Something away from the name psychiatric. Change the ethos so that it will be accepted by both patients and the general public,” the coroner recommended.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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Santo Domingo – An outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus is affecting the Dominican population, especially young children, the elderly, and people with health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and hypertension. This highly aggressive virus could cause hospitalizations in the most vulnerable groups.

This was reported to Diario Libre by Dr. Madelin Ventura Portorreal, perinatologist pediatrician, and clinical nutritionist, who has urged the population to take extreme precautions.

“It is essential to wear masks in public spaces, wash your hands frequently, and gargle with salt water when leaving and returning home,” she said. She also recommended avoiding touching your face with dirty hands and using disinfectant gel in the street.

To detect the virus, Portorreal suggested performing a short respiratory panel, which identifies syncytial viruses, COVID-19 and influenza A and B, available in clinical study laboratories. She explained that tests must be done within the first five days of respiratory symptoms.

Finally, the doctor asked not to send children with respiratory symptoms to schools to prevent contagion. “Prevention is key,” concluded Ventura Portorreal.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has confirmed one case of West Nile Virus in Barbados. Communication relative to this was issued in Surveillance Bulletin for week No. 38 dated September 27.

The Ministry wishes to assure the public that given the pattern of transmission and disease, there is little risk to the general population. With reference to the one confirmed case, the patient, an adolescent female, was diagnosed in September 2024, after presenting with symptoms including fever, headache, and body aches. She later developed encephalitis (infection of the brain). Initial testing for dengue fever and bacterial infections was negative, and further testing revealed the presence of antibodies consistent with West Nile Fever.

A study conducted in 2007 predicted that the disease/virus was likely to be detected in Barbados at some point in the future due to the presence of the Culex mosquito and migratory birds which carry the virus. Although the virus has been previously known to be in the Caribbean, with a recently confirmed case in Martinique, this is the first documented case of West Nile Virus in Barbados.

It is important to note that humans and horses infected with West Nile Virus do not transmit the virus to mosquitoes, therefore there is no risk of a widespread outbreak from this case.

West Nile Virus, is similar to Dengue, and is primarily transmitted from the infected migratory bird via the Culex mosquito. Other rare forms of transmission include mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, and through infected blood products or transplant material.

Infection with West Nile Virus generally causes mild illness, with approximately 80 per cent of cases being asymptomatic. It usually takes between two to six days for symptoms to show but can take up to 14 days. Around 20 per cent of infected individuals may experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches, gastrointestinal discomfort, and a temporary rash.  In rare cases, (fewer than 1 per cent) the virus may cause neurological infection with features such as meningitis or encephalitis.

Patients with a normal immune system, who have recovered from the virus should have lifelong protection from re-infection. However, they should refrain from donating blood for at least four months.

While there is currently no specific treatment for West Nile Virus, most individuals recover with supportive care, which include fluids, rest, and analgesia. However, individuals with suspected neurological symptoms should seek immediate medical attention, as complications like respiratory distress and seizures may occur.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness will continue to manage mosquito populations, including educating the public on avoiding mosquito bites. The Ministry will also continue its surveillance and testing for the West Nile Virus as a part of the normal testing protocol for mosquito-borne illnesses.

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A single case of the potentially deadly mosquito-borne West Nile Virus (WNV) was recorded here last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed, prompting the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) to warn people not to mistake the illness for dengue fever whose symptoms are similar.

BAMP president Dr Lynda Williams responded on Friday to the news revealed by the WHO of the island’s first confirmed human infection – in “a child less than 15 years old residing in Bagatelle, St Thomas” in mid-September.

The Ministry of Health had not communicated the discovery to the Barbadian public, but the WHO disclosed on Thursday that the ministry, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point, had notified of the case last month, after receiving the test results on the child who took ill in June.

The child began experiencing symptoms on June 10, including headache, fever, vomiting, neck pain, and knee pain, the WHO reported. A dengue fever test on June 14 was negative. The patient was admitted to paediatric intensive care on June 16 with “worsening of signs and symptoms, including joint pain, abdominal pain, altered mental status, and slurred speech”.

Cerebrospinal fluid tests ruled out some bacterial and viral pathogens, but the child’s condition worsened, the WHO said. Blood samples sent to the Mayo Clinic on September 3 confirmed WNV antibodies (IgG) on September 14.

“The patient remains under care and is recovering,” WHO said.

West Nile virus is generally carried by migratory birds and transmitted by mosquitoes to humans, horses, and other mammals.

“This is the first human case of WNV infection detected in Barbados. Additionally, no infections have been previously documented in birds or horses in this country, making this case both unusual and unexpected,” it said.

According to the WHO, the patient reportedly visited a horse stable in February and “a beach frequented by horses” on June 8, two days before the onset of symptoms.

It said: “Although these exposures to horses were considered risk factors for WNV infection, the precise source of infection remains unspecified. No other suspected cases of [West Nile] were identified, but public health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Symptoms of WNV include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. The virus is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites, with birds as the natural hosts, and there is no evidence to suggest that the virus spreads easily between humans or from horses to mosquitoes. There are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat West Nile in people.

Urging vigilance, BAMP’s Dr Williams told Barbados TODAY: “I just want people to realise it is no more dangerous than dengue. In the same way, we must not assume that everything is dengue. That’s the point I want to get across. We must not assume that everything that looks like dengue is dengue, and doctors need to be made aware, and look out for the possibility that some things that seem to be dengue may not be.”

She explained that there are several other viruses circulating, besides WNV, with similar symptoms.

“Try hard to prevent mosquito bites,” the general practitioner advised. “It has the same sort of risk potential as other mosquito-borne illnesses. The difference, I think, with this one is because of the neurological complications, such as encephalitis and paralysis, there is a lot more concern. But the reality is that very, very, very few people who get West Nile Virus will end up with neurological complications.

“The actual numbers are that between 20 and 40 per cent will develop any symptoms, and less than one per cent will develop neurological complications. Although the potential exists, you just have to be aware that it is out there and be able to find out what is causing a person to have these dengue-like symptoms.”

The BAMP leader noted that many people who get dengue-like symptoms stay home and treat the illness themselves, rather than seek medical care.

“So that is why I am trying to get the word across: if you are really ill, have a high fever, muscle pain, and joint pain, don’t assume it is dengue. Go and get tested and confirm what has happened,” Dr Williams advised.

The WHO said that while WNV has spread in the Caribbean before,  likely via infected migratory birds, no cases have been documented in birds or horses in Barbados.

However, it added, “It is possible that the virus is circulating in birds and horses undetected”.

“Despite this, the overall impact on public health remains limited at this stage, as there is currently only one recorded human case and appropriate public health response measures have been implemented. WHO considers the current risk from WNV as low but will continue to evaluate the epidemiological situation in Barbados.”

After confirmation of the single case, the WHO said, health authorities here conducted interviews with the patient’s parents to investigate risk factors such as exposure to animals known to carry WNV, recent travel history, and other relevant factors; and implemented ongoing epidemiological surveillance and testing to ensure no further cases are missed and to evaluate the potential risk of local transmission in the area.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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One Communications, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and several non-governmental organisations, collectively referred to as Champions of Hope, officially launched Pinktober 2024 on Friday, continuing its mission to raise awareness and support for cancer fighters and survivors across Guyana, the company said. Speaking at the launch event themed ‘Many Hearts, One Fight,’ Ian ...