A number of communities in St James and St Thomas will be fogged this week, when the Ministry of Health’s Vector Control Unit conducts its mosquito reduction exercise.

The Unit will concentrate its efforts in St James for the first three days of the week. On Monday, Wanstead Gardens, Husbands Heights, Santa Rosa Drive, Mid-Summer Drive, and Dracaena Avenue will be targeted.

The team will then go into Dairy Meadows Road, John Plains, St John The Baptist Road, and Bamboo Ridge, on Tuesday,.

The following day the Unit will spray Hoytes Village, Cavewood Road, Bagatelle Terrace with Avenues, and Hoytes Terrace. On Thursday, Center Lane, Kew Road, and Redman Village in St Thomas will be visited.

The fogging exercise will conclude on Friday in Welches, Welches Heights, Plum Tree Avenue, Terrace Drive, Padmore Village, and surrounding districts.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the spray.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time. (PR)

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Commission chair Suleiman Bulbulia announced at Wednesday’s prize-giving ceremony that over 40 schools, both private and public, took part in the contest. 

“We were overwhelmed with the number of responses that we got,” Bulbulia said. “We were overwhelmed by the designs that were submitted. So it was a little bit tough in coming up with the final winners, but we felt really great because it was important for us that the young people are engaged in this discussion.”

The competition is part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to combat the influence of unhealthy foods targeted at children. 

Bulbulia highlighted the gravity of the situation: “We have a major issue in Barbados [where] 80 per cent of our deaths are related to NCDs, so it’s a struggle we have to fight and numbers we have to bring down.”

The commission is working to remove unhealthy influences from school environments and hopes to extend these efforts beyond the classroom, he said, acknowledging the challenges faced by young people: “We know it’s a struggle; young people are being bombarded day in and day out with messages of unhealthy foods, snacks and beverages, and we are working on making sure that when they get to school, it’s not there and not within their environment. When they get out of school we are hoping we can work on that as well.” 

The overall winner of the competition was University of the West Indies student Akebulan Thuo, whose design was inspired by his personal health journey. 

He explained: “The idea of how to actually properly lose that weight and become healthy is what I want to promote with what I did today.”

Describing his winning design, Thuo added: “When I heard a ‘Healthier Barbados’, the first thing I thought about was running, because [cardio] is one of the first steps into becoming healthier.” 

He incorporated a tropical setting, featuring people running on a beach.  

“I decided to deal with the beach as the backdrop behind the people running, so people were actually running into the sea. The idea behind that was me thinking Barbados has a brighter future. It’s basically me saying [there] is better health for Barbados,” the university student added.

The NCD Commission has touted the competition’s success as demonstrating progress in engaging youth in the fight against NCDs, which now account for eight of ten deaths in Barbados. (SB)

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Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Public Health reported through its weekly epidemiological bulletin that 170 suspected cases of measles have been recorded so far this year.

The bulletin highlights that while no cases have been confirmed, at least 18 suspected cases have been reported in various provinces during the current epidemiological week.

“San José de Ocoa and the National District Area IV have the highest number of suspected measles cases, with 8.8 in each locality. Of these cases, 57.6% are male and 38.2% are children between the ages of 1 and 4,” the report states.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that Member States continue efforts to increase and maintain adequate vaccination coverage against measles, rubella, and mumps. They reiterate that vaccination, epidemiological surveillance, and preparation for rapid response to measles and rubella outbreaks are the three main strategies to interrupt the endemic transmission of these viruses.

PAHO/WHO Recommendations for Healthcare Professionals

• Encourage the practice of requesting proof of immunity/vaccination against measles and rubella within the healthcare sector (including medical, administrative, and security personnel).
• Raise awareness among private sector health workers about the need for immediate notification of any measles or rubella cases to ensure a timely response from national public health authorities according to national surveillance and response standards.
• Remind healthcare personnel to inquire about patients’ travel history to better assess potential exposure to measles or rubella.

Santo Domingo.- The National Meteorological Office reports that the summer solstice officially begins this Thursday in the northern hemisphere. This marks the hottest time of the year, characterized by the longest days and the shortest nights.

To cope with the heat, the office recommends that the public wear light, light-colored clothing, drink plenty of fluids (preferably water), and avoid sun exposure without proper protection between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Regarding the weather forecast, there will be increasing cloudiness from the morning hours with scattered rainfall and isolated thunderstorms expected along some parts of the Caribbean coastal region and the northeast. This includes areas such as Barahona, Pedernales, Peravia, Azua, Samaná, María Trinidad Sánchez, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, La Altagracia, San Cristóbal, and Gran Santo Domingo. These conditions are due to the combination of easterly winds and an upper-level trough.

From the afternoon until early evening, increased cloudiness with showers, thunderstorms, and gusty winds are anticipated, mainly affecting the provinces of Duarte, Sánchez Ramírez, Monte Plata, Hato Mayor, Monseñor Nouel, La Vega, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Santiago Rodríguez, Dajabón, San Cristóbal, San Pedro de Macorís, Gran Santo Domingo, and nearby areas.

Speaking on the QEH Pulse radio show, Dr Margaret O’Shea, whose expertise lies in kidney transplantation, emphasised the pressing need for such legislation to expand transplant options and meet the increasing demand from the dialysis patient population.

“I think it’s well known we do have a very large dialysis population, and this is increasing year on year, due mostly in part to the increasingly non-communicable diseases,” she remarked. “So the best approach or the best option for our patients with end-stage renal failure is kidney transplantation.”

While dialysis is a crucial treatment, the specialist noted it was not the optimal long-term solution.

“Given the thought that patients who at this time would benefit from a transplant need a live donor, we are not doing as much transplants as we would like, because in Barbados right now, the option for transplantation is only the live donor transplant,” Dr O’Shea explained.

A major obstacle facing the QEH transplant programme is the lack of legislation for deceased organ donation in Barbados. Dr O’Shea underscored the significance of legislative changes to expand transplant options.

“We do not have legislation for deceased donation at this time, but the good thing is the legislation is in the works,” she noted. “The minister of health is moving in that direction to ensure that we can take steps to have more organs available for transplant generally.”

The medical expert elaborated on the advantages of kidney transplantation over prolonged dialysis. She said patients live a better quality of life, live longer, “and, of course, you’re not spending all that time on the dialysis machine.”

Transplants not only improve patients’ health but also enable them to return to their normal lives more quickly.

“Patients who get the transplant are certainly able to go back to their work more readily,” Dr O’Shea emphasised. “You just spend time taking medications so you don’t reject the kidney. It’s better quality of life and also better quantity of life and certainly more cost-effective for the hospital and patient…. It’s a win-win situation for both the patients and the healthcare system.”

Dr O’Shea said there were rigorous screening processes in place to ensure the safety of both donors and recipients.

“We screen our donors very heavily because we don’t want anything to happen to the donors. They get all of the tests done to make sure they’re very healthy and fit for surgery,” she explained.

The hospital’s live donor transplant programme has achieved impressive success rates, supported by its collaboration with international partners.

Dr O’Shea said there is a “close to a 90 per cent success rate at this time”.

“So far, all of our grafts have worked, but we do have patients who, because of underlying problems, do succumb to other issues,” she added.

To foster community involvement and raise awareness, the QEH is hosting an information session about kidney transplantation on Friday at 1 p.m. at the QEH auditorium.

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The state-owned Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Wednesday said security was being beefed up to counter violent attacks on wounded patients while they are receiving treatment at the Accident and Emergency Department, an apparent growing trend across the Caribbean. GPHC Chief Executive Officer, Robbie Rambarran said security guards would be equipped with more handheld ...

Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Public Health (MSP), Víctor Atallah, announced that the country currently lacks COVID-19 vaccines due to the perception that the disease had “disappeared.”

“COVID-19 seemed to have disappeared, and the influx to vaccination centers was almost zero. We vaccinated nearly 100% of the population, which was a record. A second outbreak was not anticipated,” said Minister Atallah during the presentation of the new edition of the National Epidemiological Bulletin.

Atallah mentioned that vaccines for adults are expected to arrive next week, and information on the distribution centers will be provided. Additionally, he confirmed that vaccines for children, who were pending vaccination, have arrived to prevent a spike in cases among this group.

No Intensive Care Patients or Intubations

Minister Atallah highlighted that there are currently no COVID-19 patients in intensive care or on ventilators. He noted that the number of cases has decreased, with no reported deaths. “Only 300 new cases have been registered, showing a reduction compared to last week,” he emphasized.

He also mentioned that approximately 2,500 hospital beds have been made available, and there has been no overcrowding in health centers. He stressed the importance of wearing masks to prevent the virus’s spread and assured that pharmacies are being supplied to avoid a shortage of medicines. “We continue to monitor to anticipate possible outbreaks,” he concluded.

Launch of the Modernized National Epidemiological Bulletin

On Tuesday, the MSP unveiled a modern version of its National Epidemiological Bulletin in digital format. The updated bulletin features changes in format, design, and content, with a focus on a main theme in each publication.

The primary objective of the new bulletin is to “inform in an easy and accurate manner” about health events in the country, targeting both epidemiologists and the interested public.

During the launch event, Minister Atallah highlighted that the new updates make the epidemiological document more accessible, with an index and chapters navigable through tabs. The bulletin uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) on its cover and includes a QR code for accessing the repository of previously published bulletins, which are available for download.

Weekly Updates and Central Topics

The new bulletin will be updated every Thursday at noon and will be available on the Epidemiology Directorate’s website, https://digepi.gob.do. Each edition will feature a central current topic, described and analyzed in detail within its local, regional, and global contexts, along with surveillance methods and prevention or control recommendations.

Minister Atallah explained that the format of the National Epidemiological Bulletin had not been updated for over 15 years. The new version aims to provide a more modern, readable, and instructive tool that facilitates quicker access and understanding of the document.

The updated bulletin will present mandatory notification events by time, place, and person, along with a summary table of confirmed cases for the week and the most relevant events. It will also feature a relevant scientific article for the ongoing education of epidemiologists and other readers.

This statistical document covers notifiable health events, showing the behavior of diseases such as dengue, malaria, leptospirosis, cholera, respiratory diseases, and rabies. It also includes the incidence of maternal and infant deaths, disaggregated by sex, age, and other indicators.

The government officially launched its eye-testing and spectacles programme which will benefit thousands of vulnerable individuals on Tuesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). The programme will see these individuals accessing financial assistance from the government to get their eyes tested and outfitted with the required spectacles. Individuals under 18 years of age, and ...

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