e, Livestock, and the Environment of the affected countries. “We want to appeal to the public to calm down. We have been actively warning about this situation since March of this year, particularly last September due to the start of bird migrations from North America to South America,” said Andrés González, FAO Livestock, Animal Health, and Biodiversity Officer.

“We have active coordination with international organizations, and we are managing ways to assist recently affected countries,” he added. He also stated that there is no scientific evidence that HPAI is transmitted to humans through the consumption of birds or properly prepared eggs. González explained that the countries’ prevention, early detection, and response plans are being supported in the regional emergency of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza with the assistance of national representations, through an incident command group led by the FAO’s Animal Health division, and in close coordination with the regional steering committee of the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Diseases of Animals (GF-TADs).

Latin America and the Caribbean produce 20.4% of the world’s poultry meat and 10% of the world’s eggs, making this a vital sector for the livelihoods of millions of small and medium-sized agricultural producers. As a result, it is critical to activate the region’s emergency protocols as soon as possible.

By Michron Robinson

Education on substance abuse at all levels of society is critical. That’s according to Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams who was speaking to Barbados TODAY after a special church service on Sunday marking the start of Drug Awareness Month at the Church of the Nazarene at Collymore Rock.

He noted that because people don’t understand the effects of substance abuse, its troubling nature is downplayed. “Unless people are educated on what to look for, they may dismiss it as something else. We need to advise and educate ourselves. We need to spot substance abuse in our families, in our communities and even teachers need to spot it in schools… and from as young an age as possible. A lot of Bajans think it is cool to smoke weed, to sneak a drink, to smoke cigarettes, but our children need to be given the information [so they] understand the dangers of it,” he urged. 

While recalling that the majority of persons impacted by substance abuse are males, the Minister of Home Affairs said the NCSA will be working towards spreading the word.

“This is the month that the NCSA is focusing on getting the message out, across to the people. Nine out of ten people who have substance abuse problems are males. That’s a reality we cannot escape. During this month – look out we will put a lot of information out there,” he promised.

The Minister added that the Christian church has an important role to play in wrestling Barbados’ crime problem to the ground. “One of the greatest social organisations is the church, historically and in Barbadian culture, most of us have come up in the church, we get our grounding in the church, we learn our ethics and our values from our grandparents and the church. I believe the church has a significant role to play in the fight against substance abuse,” he said.

Pastor of the Church of the Nazarene Reverend David Holder promised his church would do more to help those with drug abuse. “Our gospel is about changing lives. The church now has to get more involved in the community. We need to get out and that is one of the things we intend to do at Collymore Rock – help them through the gospel,” Holder said. (MR)

The post Education key to curbing substance abuse – Minister Abrahams appeared first on Barbados Today.

Estrella explained that the ministry maintains house-to-house operations in areas such as La Zurza and Capotillo, where a random survey of 68 samples was conducted, collecting samples from both symptomatic patients and those who did not present themselves at the Hospital. “Of these tests, we have only four positives. Two of them were completely asymptomatic patients, and two were hospitalized patients” (Goico).

According to the doctor, Public Health collaborates with the Corporation of Aqueduct and Sewerage of Santo Domingo (CAASD) and the ministries of Education, Environment, and Public Works to develop disease promotion and prevention efforts. “We’re waiting for permission to build the bridge and move the dredgers and equipment to the area to start dredging a large portion of La Isabela that adjoins the La Zurza sector,” she explained. Similarly, Estrella assured that they are looking for efficient ways to dump solid waste and improve the quality of La Poza’s waters.

“We are watching every area along the river’s banks,” she said again. Concerning the spread of bacteria in areas other than the riverbank, such as Villas Agrcolas and San Carlos, the doctor stated, “the fact that I live in one sector does not mean that I do not move to another.” Eladio Pérez, Vice Minister of Collective Health, recalled that in neighboring Haiti, more than 24,000 cases had already been reported, with over 450 people dying.

“The more the epidemiological curve develops in the neighboring country, the more likely it is that it will occur in ours,” he said.

Thousands of Barbadian men as young as 40 have a specific DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule gene that predisposes them to the development of prostate cancer.

This major discovery came out of a recent trial undertaken by the Barbados Cancer Society in conjunction with top researchers from the United States.

The presence of the molecule is most common in families and is considered a genetic disease, the study determined.

Some 565 over-40 men consented to the trial which started in April 2020 and ended in April 2022. From that testing, it was determined that 76 of the participants would develop prostate cancer in the future.

This was disclosed by the society’s president Professor R. David Rosin during a press conference held on Tuesday at the headquarters on Lower Collymore Rock, St Michael.

He said the trial was conducted with the support of Emeritus Professor of Surgery at Yale University Irvin Modlin and Laboratory and Scientific Director at Wren Laboratories Mark Kidd. It was the largest trial in the world for screening prostate cancer in men of African descent using genomics.

Rosin explained that genomics is a relatively new approach to discovering diseases using specific findings in the blood and saliva.

“Prostatic cancer has the highest cancer numbers in Barbados. It’s number one. One hundred and fifteen men a year die from the disease and 320 men, in the last statistics in 2018, actually get the disease,” he said. “Prostate cancer is usually a slow growing cancer in men over the age of 65 with a low death rate compared to most other cancers, however, in men of African descent it occurs in younger men and tends to be more aggressive.”

Rosin said that by using genomics, men could now learn if they are predisposed to prostate cancer even before the cancer presents itself in the body.

“The trial has shown that men as young as 40 can be carrying this molecule signature, almost always because their father or their grandfather, close relatives, have suffered from the disease . . . It is most common in families and is a genetic disease. We have shown that men who have a positive PROSTest, the molecule signature, have a normal PSA (prostate-specific antigen), no symptoms, no signs and [no] readings on the screens.

“So we are finding people who are carrying this gene and who we know will ultimately develop prostate cancer.”

The cancer society head noted that generally, men 60 and over are usually screened for prostate cancer and the society accepts men 50 and over.

However, he said that based on the findings of the research, men as young as 40 should get screened.

“I think this trial has proved that we are going to have to lower the bar and start screening people from the age of 40.”

Given that the number of men with prostate cancer is increasing every ten years, Rosin called on males to get tested.

“We should be alarmed that it is too strong and I think we should be vigilant as to how we are going to investigate and treat these men. Screening of all cancers is the way forward…

“We should be screening people to ensure that we find the disease as early as possible. That is going to decrease the mortality and morbidity because of less aggressive treatment.”

While those in the trial were tested free of cost, the price tag on the DNA molecule test is US$500.

Rosin said any males wanting to get the test done could visit the society, pay the required sum and the organisation would facilitate it. The tests are only conducted at Wren Laboratories.

Rosin told the press conference, the society would soon be carrying out another trial for colon cancer, which will test 600 volunteers.

Colon cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in Barbados and it affects both men and women.

The third most prevalent cancer is breast cancer.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb

The post Men as young as 40 prompted to test for prostate disease appeared first on Barbados Today.

View the full post Grenada yet to identify marijuana/cannabis niche market on NOW Grenada.

“The aim of the project is to be the centerpiece of the development of the Education, Health, and Wellness Sectors,” said the Estimates.

View the full post Medical and Teaching Hospital to be built on private lands on NOW Grenada.

Brill, whose family hails from Puerto Rico, knows that just discussing the term in some Spanish-speaking cultures is so frowned upon that many callers are too scared to even admit that they’re calling for themselves.

Read the rest…

“The fact that cholera is going in crescendo shows shortcomings, those same places that today are showing sick patients and some deceased, are the same as in 2010,” he said, also questioning the action taken by the Social Security System at that time, since today the indicators are the same and “we are worse off”. In addition, the union leader stated that they will carry out several actions in the La Zurza sector, such as a new analysis of the water to determine the particles that inhabit it, “so that the population sees the truth of the Medical College.”

The State intervened after three cases of the disease in the last sweep in various neighborhoods such as the Nuevo Domingo Sabio Project, the former La Ciénaga, and Los Guandules, as well as Capotillo, El 24 de Abril, Gualey, Simón Bolivar, and Villas Agricolas. However, according to residents of Villas Agricolas, it took them a long time to get there, and some are still unaware of the government entities’ movements in their communities to stop the cholera outbreak. Although the only cases still active in the country are in La Zurza and Villas Agricolas, where the outbreak’s first and only death occurred last Thursday, the other four locations were also intervened in over the weekend, according to Public Health.

The director of Health Area IV, Jesus Suard, confirmed that 300 people were ready to form brigades that rummaged through neighborhoods looking for suspected cases, that is, people with chronic diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, and other symptoms. Suard stated that the teams that conduct house-to-house visits also educate the population on cholera prevention, but that in most of the allegedly affected areas, people are unaware of the Ministry’s movements.

One of them is Magna Elena Ramos, who lives in San Carlos, where the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) identified two positive individuals of Haitian origin with the disease last Friday. She is concerned about the disease’s potential for harm. “It’s dangerous if you don’t attend to yourself on time, which is why you have to eat healthy and nothing from the street,” she explained.

Another resident of the sector who only eats food prepared at home José de la Rosa said that street food is the most likely to spread the disease. “You can’t get it at home, but if you eat nonsense on the streets, you’ll get it because they’re not made with the same hygiene,” he said emphatically. Santiago Nuñez, who also lives in San Carlos, has urged authorities to stop the spread of cholera to prevent more cases, particularly among children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing diseases, who are the most vulnerable to death. Similarly, the gentleman urged citizens to follow the recommendations of the health portfolio and specialists to combat the condition.

Because suspicious cases have emerged, some Villas Agricolas residents are also tightening hygiene standards to avoid being included in the bacterial condition’s statistical reports. This is what Ramón Fernández is doing, who has made washing his hands before eating and after using the restroom a daily priority to avoid contracting the disease. Similarly, Julio de Los Santos, who has lived in the neighborhood for years, stated that the population must help the government contain the contagion by taking the necessary precautions.

According to the 1,024 reports of the General Directorate of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health, in the last 24 hours, 1,310 tests were performed, of which 1,292 were antigenic and another 18 were Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), of which 817 were performed for the first time, and 493 were subsequent.

216 new cases of COVID in the past 24 hours

COVID Statistics
Daily positivity levels remain at 7.47%, while that of the last four weeks stands at 10.26%, and the lethality of the virus is 0.66%, with 4,384 deaths in total, with the last death recorded over half a year ago in the month of June 2022.

Hospital occupancy also shows a decrease in statistics, as only 17 occupied beds in the COVID network and four intensive care units, while no mechanical ventilators are in use.