On Tuesday, Emmalin Pierre, NNP Political Leader and Opposition Leader in Parliament updated that Dr Mitchell was in “great spirit and he is well”

View the full post Dr Mitchell recovering from blackout episode on NOW Grenada.

The historically left-leaning Working People’s Alliance (WPA) on Monday said there was diplomatic space for Guyana to find the balance between regional solidarity with Cuba against the United States (US) and securing American support to deal with Venezuela’s increasing aggression over the Essequibo region. While Guyana needs to retain the support of the US and ...

GFNC’s annual surveys of daycare children and biennial assessments of preschoolers help identify children who need support 

View the full post GFNC Survey Daycare and Pre-School results on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo.- Political economy specialist Arismendi Díaz criticized the Dominican Republic’s healthcare system, stating that hospitals remain a symbol of poverty and inefficiency despite significant social protection coverage. Speaking on Contacto 360, he noted that while 97.3% of the population has healthcare access, the quality of care has not improved.

Díaz highlighted that despite strong economic growth, the country lags in social investment, with spending at half the Latin American average. He emphasized that this disparity has delayed healthcare reforms, requiring four decades to establish the current Social Security Law.

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) says Guyana is careful not to offend the United States (US) over concerns that Cuban healthcare workers were being subjected to forced labour because of Washington’s unequivocal support against a Venezuelan invasion over the Essequibo Region. “Guyana faces a greater risk than other Caribbean territories of offending the US ...

The loud music and even louder engine noise coming from the so-called “kitipos,” which occur from the early hours of the afternoon until the early hours of the morning, generate intense anxiety in different neighborhoods of the country.

HOY newspaper confirmed this reality when it moved to the Los Alcarrizos sector in Santo Domingo Norte as part of the special series Hoy en tu barrio. In interviews, several community members agreed that the noise is so unbearable that some have had to “sleep at work” to rest.

Survey

To find out if this situation is replicated in other communities, Hoy newspaper surveyed social networks, asking readers: “Do you face problems in your community due to loud music or other annoying noises?«

Most Internet users responded affirmatively, denouncing that noise pollution affects their quality of life.

Complaints from citizens

Hostensia expressed his frustration with the noise pollution: “I almost bleed from my ears, every day of the week, the whole day the windows shake from the noise, you can’t watch TV, you can’t rest.”

Angela Harvey denounced the alarming situation in La Vega: “Yes, La Vega is a disaster. Among the businesses that give permission to open in front of houses, schools, hospitals, and cars with horns, they are destroying peace.”

Orquídea narrated her experience: “We can’t rest easy, the street is on foot and those neighbors have parties every day. Believe me that last Tuesday we had to close the house and go somewhere else, we couldn’t hear our own voice. That is from Monday to Monday, and to make it more tragic they also do karaoke.”

Another user lamented the lack of control: “There is still a long way to go to control this disease, which is a disorder.”

Sandra, for her part, said that the situation is even more serious due to insecurity: “There is a lot of scandal, with criminals covering our society.”

They ask for action from the authorities

Some citizens took advantage of the conversation on social media to call on the Minister of Interior and Police, Faride Raful.

Richard encouraged the official: “Yes, the whole country is a noise. Faride, go ahead and fight this disorder.”

Francisco Alberto Encarnación denounced the constant problem of noise pollution in his sector, Villa Liberación, in Santo Domingo Este: “We have a lot of problems with noise pollution.”

However, not all users agreed with the complaints. Julissa Crisóstomo and Miguel affirmed that they do not face this situation in their sectors.

For his part, Yunior describes noise pollution as a widespread problem: “This is a society sick with noise. Good for Faride Raful, the people need to rest.”

President Irfaan Ali on Saturday announced that efforts were underway to get children to spend less time on their mobile phones and electronic devices and instead engage in more sports and physical activity to promote a healthier lifestyle. “Even if we have to put free WiFi in the park to get the children out of ...

President Irfaan Ali on Saturday said Guyana has asked the United States (US) to provide proof that Cuban workers were being exploited in Guyana, amid the Trump administration’s decision to cancel the visas of foreign government workers and their immediate family members if Cubans continue to be put into forced labour. “We also said to ...

The Ministry of Health reported that it has the necessary vaccines to protect the population and aims to cover 95% of people requiring inoculation.

The director of Immunopreventable by Vaccines (IVD) of the Ministry of Health, Aida Lucía Vargas, said that vaccines to reduce the risk of influenza A and B, among others, are available in more than 1,450 fixed posts throughout the national territory.

Anyone as young as six months of age can get a flu vaccine at these vaccination sites for free.

The director reported that in 2025, in addition to girls between 9 and 14 years old, boys of the same age will also be vaccinated against human papillomavirus. Before, we only vaccinated females.

Vargas indicated that the Dominican Republic, through the Ministry of Health, has a vaccination schedule following its epidemiological situation. This schedule includes vaccines against hepatitis B and pentavalent (which prevent diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, rubella, and mumps) and for reducing the risk of meningitis, whooping cough, rotavirus, and TDAP for pregnant women, among others.

“We have vaccines for the entire life course of people,” she said.

The specialist called on parents to go to the vaccination centers with their children to protect them from diseases.

Dr. Evangelina Soler, a pulmonologist, assures us that there is no doubt about the increase in respiratory processes. However, she insists that it is what is expected this season.

These are stationary viruses, such as influenza, which have resulted in an infectious rebound that should be monitored.

“Most of the patients who come to our clinic are affected by the influenza virus,” said the health professional when interviewed by Hoy. Other viruses are also occurring in the child population, such as the OC43 variant of the coronavirus. It mainly affects the little ones.

Soler says that professionals are observing lung conditions in young patients in their consultations. This infection produces bilateral infiltrates in the lungs and is quite different from what is usually seen, as previously, it produced little pathogenicity.

Recommendations

Older adults and minors should wash their hands properly and avoid contact with sick people with respiratory processes. People who have health conditions such as kidney or cardiovascular conditions should avoid contact with those who have respiratory infections.

The same goes for those with diabetes, liver disease, and pulmonological problems. They should wash their hands and take care of their health.

Other specialists

Experts agree that viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and seasonal coronaviruses persist in respiratory infections.

This week, Dr. Robert Paulino said that these viral illnesses can be prolonged due to variability in temperature and humidity. These increasingly aggressive viruses require continuous vigilance. Every day, specialists report more cases of respiratory conditions.

For specialists, viral diseases in the northern hemisphere require preventive measures that must be adopted in the Dominican Republic this year to avoid outbreaks. The seasonal shift from winter to spring in the northern hemisphere marks a period of environmental transition that influences infectious disease dynamics.

More incidence

For specialists in these diseases, the seasonal transition shows increased respiratory and arboviral viral infections. Arbovirals at the arrival of spring and the increase in humidity create conditions conducive to the proliferation of diseases.