The following statement was issued by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Saturday:

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is again experiencing a surge in the number of patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department for treatment with various medical complaints.

At 8 a.m. Saturday, 38, patients were waiting to be seen by our medical team.

The current situation has led to increased wait times in the department. We’re reminding the public, if you present to the AED at this time with medical conditions which are not deemed life-threatening or an emergency, it is possible you may experience an extended wait.

Life-threatening conditions, under AED’s Triage System will continue to be seen and treated immediately. These include patients who for example, have life, limb or sight threatening complaints, gunshot wounds, heart attacks, active seizure activity or a patient who needs resuscitation.

If you are unsure about your medical complaint to determine if you need to present to the Accident and Emergency Department, please call our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/Help Desk) at 536- 4800 using regular or whatsapp calls from 9am to 12 midnight during this surge.

You also have the option of visiting the 24-hour Winston Scott Polyclinic at Jemmotts Lane, St Michael for treatment or your private General Practitioner.

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and we will continue to provide updates on the situation.

(PR)

The post QEH sees surge in patients at A&E, advises of long wait times appeared first on Barbados Today.

Santo Domingo.-Health Minister Daniel Rivera has confirmed that the Dominican Republic is concluding the year within a safe range in terms of dengue infections. Despite the typical increase in cases expected for December, there has been no outbreak, indicating effective control and management of the disease.

The Ministry of Public Health recently introduced new health regulations and updated care protocols for dengue management. This proactive approach is in response to an alert issued by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) that extends until August 2024, preparing the health system for potential future challenges.

According to Vice Minister of Collective Health Eladio Pérez, there has been a significant decrease in dengue cases. Epidemiological week 59 saw only 888 new cases, a reduction from weeks with over 2,000 reported cases. In total, the country has diagnosed 23,928 cases of dengue and recorded 23 deaths this year.

The ministry has also launched several new health documents and regulations. These include operational guidelines for community collaboration in malaria elimination, dietary guides with a focus on life competition, updates on HIV AIDS diagnosis and treatment for children, and various manuals and protocols for managing other health conditions.

These comprehensive measures demonstrate the Dominican Republic’s commitment to improving public health, not only in managing dengue but across a spectrum of health issues. The introduction of these guidelines and protocols is a significant step towards enhancing healthcare services and ensuring the well-being of the population.

Charrandass Persaud – the then governing APNU+AFC coalition parliamentarian who set in motion the virtual collapse of the David Granger-led administration by voting for a People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-sponsored no-confidence motion- has fallen seriously ill and was Wednesday evacuated to Canada, according to medical sources. One of the sources said Mr Persaud was suffering ...

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic is closely observing the new JN.1 variant of COVID-19, which has been declared a variant of interest by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its rapid spread worldwide. Eladio Pérez, the Vice Minister of Collective Health at the Ministry of Public Health, stated that while the JN.1 variant has not been detected in the country, new sequencing of samples will be conducted this week to determine its presence.

Virologist Robert Paulino emphasized the importance of continued virus surveillance in the nation. He anticipates a potential increase in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks, partly due to tourist influx from the United States for the Christmas holidays. Paulino notes that JN.1 is a subvariant of Omicron, known for causing higher cases and hospitalizations, particularly among the elderly. He expressed concern over the lack of new vaccines specifically targeting Omicron, making populations more vulnerable.

The JN.1 variant, a subvariant of BA.286, has shown the highest growth advantage among all detected variants. However, its emergence does not necessarily signal a new wave of the virus, but its proportion in total COVID-19 cases is rising.

With the Christmas holidays approaching, and the likelihood of family and social gatherings, it’s recommended for individuals with cold symptoms to wear masks, maintain isolation, and for health authorities to monitor case trends to manage booster vaccines effectively.

The WHO has classified JN.1 as a separate variant of interest from its original BA.2.86 lineage, acknowledging its rapid spread but considering the additional global public health risk as low. Despite this, the WHO cautions that JN.1 could increase respiratory infections in many countries during the northern hemisphere’s winter season. The organization also confirms that current vaccines continue to offer protection against severe illness and death from JN.1 and other circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Infectologist Clemente Terrero has warned about the heightened risk of respiratory viruses, including influenza, syncytial virus, and COVID-19. He advises the public to adhere to preventive measures during the Christmas and New Year holidays, such as influenza vaccination, frequent hand washing, social distancing, and mask-wearing for those with flu-like symptoms.

“Food poisoning is a syndrome caused by consuming food contaminated with microorganisms, toxins, or chemicals. It is associated with more than 250 pathogens, particularly when food is mishandled,” the specialist explained.

The foods most commonly linked to food poisoning include undercooked or improperly reheated meats, eggs, creams, mayonnaise, unpasteurized milk, seafood, fruits, and vegetables.

She noted that symptoms of food poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, general malaise, and sometimes fever, usually appear abruptly and can start within six hours after consuming contaminated food.

“A sign of food poisoning is that multiple people who consumed the same contaminated source are affected. Symptoms typically last a few days, and most people recover well without medical treatment. However, in immunocompromised individuals (like cancer patients, those on steroids, or other immunosuppressive medications), and patients with comorbidities like heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes, the illness can be more severe or prolonged, requiring specialized medical care,” stated the specialist from the center accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI).

According to international food safety standards, Dr. Castillo recommends eight tips to reduce the risk of contracting foodborne illnesses: wash hands and surfaces where food will be handled; wash fruits and vegetables; separate foods to avoid cross-contamination between fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, poultry, and eggs; wash utensils that have been in contact with these foods, especially if they were raw.

Additionally, she advises cooking food to the correct temperature; ensuring that reheated food is completely cooked or heated before consumption; not leaving perishable foods out of the refrigerator for more than an hour; and not marinating foods on the kitchen counter, instead marinating in the refrigerator.

About CEMDOE:

CEMDOE is an outpatient medical institution accredited by the Joint Commission International. It focuses on providing comprehensive, safe, and quality care centered on the patient and their family. The center offers over 45 specialties, a clinical laboratory, a state-of-the-art imaging center, endoscopy, a multipurpose operating room, hemodialysis, and a specialized diabetic foot area. CEMDOE is part of INTEGRA, a health asset manager.

(AP) — Two private companies announced Friday a partnership to release mosquitoes across the Caribbean, including Jamaica, bred with a bacterium that blocks the dengue virus as the region fights a record number of cases.

Orbit Services Partners Inc., a company registered in Barbados, is partnering with Verily, a San Francisco-based health technology company, for the project.

The companies have been meeting with government officials in the region in hopes of launching the project early next year, said Orbit chairman Anthony Da Silva.

It would target nations including Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Maarten, St Martin, Suriname, Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Similar projects using the Wolbachia bacterium already have been implemented elsewhere in the world. Mosquitoes are infected with Wolbachia in a laboratory and then released into the wild, where they pass it on to their offspring.

The bacterium prevents the dengue virus from replicating inside a mosquito’s gut.

Da Silva said the partnership has been three years in the making and was delayed by the pandemic.

The proposal is still pending approval in individual Caribbean nations.

The Caribbean, along with the Americas, has reported more than four million dengue cases so far this year, the highest number since record-keeping began in 1980.

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Santo Domingo—Some 99 municipalities in the country reported a decrease in dengue cases this week compared to those reported the previous week, with the surveillance system capturing 983 new cases of the disease, which has maintained a high demand for medical attention in recent months.

Reduction of cases

According to reports from the Epidemiology Department of the Ministry of Public Health, during epidemiological week number 48, 983 new dengue cases were reported, showing a reduction in the last four weeks of registration, when the average number of weekly cases exceeded 1,000 reported.

This year, the country is experiencing a dengue epidemic, generating a demand for attention in the emergency and hospitalization areas of clinics and hospitals, especially in Greater Santo Domingo. Epidemic conditions of dengue are also registered in different counties of the region.

This positive news comes as the Jaime Mota Regional University Hospital in Barahona considers closing its oral rehydration area, which had been set up for acute diarrheal diseases, due to the normalcy of the situation.

During a recent visit to Barahona, Dr. Estrella met with local authorities, the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewage (Inapa), and the Ministry of Public Works to address water-related issues. She expressed optimism that the Barahona aqueduct, affected by a landslide in recent months, will be operational within a few weeks, ensuring a stable water supply for the area’s residents.

Regarding dengue fever, Eladio Pérez Antonio, the Vice Minister of Collective Health, reported a significant decrease in cases in recent weeks. Out of 99 municipalities, 50 reported no new cases of dengue. He explained that while dengue follows an endemic curve and cases are expected, the current numbers are within the expected range. The recent increase in cases has now subsided, returning to expected levels.

As of the current reporting, the Dominican Republic has registered a total of 23,036 dengue cases, with 983 of these occurring two weeks ago. The Ministry of Public Health continues to closely monitor the situation to ensure public health and safety.

Researchers from Stanford University Medicine found that roughly one in every five "reasonably healthy" adults aged 50 or older has at least one organ that is aging at a "strongly accelerated rate," which causes a higher risk of disease and death.

The blood test could help guide therapeutic interventions before symptoms appear, according to senior author Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, the senior author of the study and a professor of neurology at Stanford Medicine in California.

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By looking at specialized proteins in a person’s blood, scientists could detect the biological age of an organ, even if the person appears healthy at the time, Wyss-Coray told Fox News Digital. 

That information could then predict the person’s risk for disease related to that organ.

Wyss-Coray compared it to an auto mechanic plugging a vehicle into a machine to get information about how the different car parts are functioning.

"This is basically what we do, but by looking at the concentration of these highly specialized proteins," he told Fox News Digital in an interview.

The research team — led by Stanford in collaboration with Washington University; the University of California, San Francisco; the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Montefiore Medical Center in New York — looked at blood samples from 5,678 people, focusing on proteins in the blood that are unique to specific organs. 

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"For example, because the brain is highly specialized, it uses very special proteins to maintain its function," Wyss-Coray said.

The team then created a model using an algorithm to detect the organs’ biological age.

"When we compared each of these organs’ biological age for each individual to their counterparts among a large group of people without obvious severe diseases, we found that 18.4% of those age 50 or older had at least one organ aging significantly more rapidly than the average," Wyss-Coray said in a news release from the university.

"These individuals were at a heightened risk for disease in that particular organ in the next 15 years."

Human organs age at different rates, lead authors Hamilton Oh and Jarod Rutledge, who are graduate students in Wyss-Coray’s lab, said in the Stanford news release.

Previous studies have examined ways to detect a person’s biological age through biomarkers, but the Stanford team took it a step further by determining scores for specific organs, including the heart, brain, kidney, liver, pancreas, lung, intestines, immune system and tissues. 

THESE ARE THE 10 LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AMONG US ADULTS, THE CDC SAYS

The researchers used an algorithm that included organ-specific protein calculations and came up with an "age gap." That's the difference between an organ’s actual age and its estimated age based on the algorithm’s calculations, Wyss-Cross told Fox News Digital.

Age gaps were found for 10 of the 11 organs studied. An individual who had an accelerated-aging organ carried a 15% to 50% higher mortality risk over the next 15 years depending on which organ was affected, the study found.

Even for people who did not initially show any active disease or abnormal clinical biomarkers, an accelerated aging heart increased their risk of heart failure by 2.5 times, according to the study release.

Those considered to have "older" brains were 1.8 times as likely to show cognitive decline over five years, compared to those with "young" brains, the Stanford release noted.

Accelerated aging of the brain or vasculature (blood vessel) system also predicted risk for Alzheimer’s disease progression, according to the study.

There were also strong associations between an extreme-aging kidney score with diabetes and hypertension, as well as a link between an extreme-aging heart score and atrial fibrillation or heart attack, Wyss-Coray told Fox News Digital. 

A smaller number of individuals (1 in 60 people) had two organs that were aging at a faster pace. Their mortality risk was 6.5 times higher than a person without a significantly aged organ.

"If we can reproduce this finding in 50,000 or 100,000 individuals, it will mean that by monitoring the health of individual organs in apparently healthy people, we might be able to find organs that are undergoing accelerated aging in people’s bodies, and we might be able to treat people before they get sick," Wyss-Coray said in the release.

Another benefit of identifying accelerated organ aging is that it can help with drug repurposing, he noted.

"Let’s say you take a drug for heart disease and we saw that as a result, your lung gets younger," Wyss-Coray told Fox News Digital in the interview. "It could be another effect of that drug. Then maybe we can use that same drug to treat a lung disease."

OVARIAN CANCER COULD BE DETECTED EARLY WITH A NEW BLOOD TEST, STUDY FINDS

Identifying these proteins can also lead to new drug targets, Wyss-Coray added.

If proteins are shown to decline in people who get a disease, scientists could make more of them, for example — or other proteins could be inhibited if they are detrimental.

Dr. Anuradha Lala, M.D., an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City, was not affiliated with the study, but told Fox News Digital that the findings may help to increase organ donations. 

In heart transplant medicine, doctors typically select relatively younger, healthier donors to maximize the longevity of the transplanted organ, Lala noted.

"Yet the authors showed … that aging in one organ did not necessarily mean other organs age at the same rate," she told Fox News Digital. 

"Given the large number of patients awaiting life-saving transplantation of specific organs, being able to decipher which organs may indeed have better chances of doing well could theoretically increase the number of donor [hearts] available," Lala said. 

More research is needed into the implications of race, ethnicity and gender, as well as costs and access, she added.

Sean Clouston, PhD, a professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York, was not involved in the study but commented on the research.

"This is a remarkably complicated but intuitive study that used exceptional measurements to examine aging separately across different organ systems," Clouston, who is also the director of public health research, said via email to Fox News Digital.

The study findings could help practitioners identify and treat many types of conditions, he added.

"This could mean that you could go to your doctor to do one blood test to monitor a huge array of conditions … and maybe they could act earlier to intervene for problems that are still only emerging."

Existing treatments, including those for Alzheimer’s disease, could also become much more effective, Clouston noted.

Two doctors from Northwell Health on Long Island, New York — Dr. Christine L. Sardo Molmenti, PhD, an associate professor and cancer epidemiologist, and Dr. Ernesto P. Molmenti, MD, Ph.D., surgical director of kidney transplantation — were not involved in the study but weighed in on the findings.

The findings "bring us closer to the concept of individualized and personalized medicine," they said in a joint statement to Fox News Digital.

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"They are able to identify, in a minimally invasive way, which organs will require immediate, intermediate and/or long-term therapeutic interventions," the doctors said.

"Once an organ has been identified as actively aging, it may allow for providing optimal medical care and improving prognosis and survival," they continued. 

"With our ultimate goal of intervening prior to the progression of disease, this approach also focuses on prevention as a promising strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality of several chronic diseases that are leading causes of death in this country."

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health. 

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health (MSP) revealed the significant impact of its “Health Route, Change your Lifestyle” initiative, having completed 30 interventions across the country. Health Minister Dr. Daniel Rivera highlighted the initiative’s success in benefiting over 1,451 thousand families, stemming from the findings of the Overweight, Hypertension, and Obesity Study.

Dr. Rivera elaborated on the broad reach of the program, noting its contribution to reducing the country’s blood donation deficit, early detection of breast cancer, hypertension in pregnant women, and encouraging Dominicans to embrace healthier lifestyles. The program positively impacted 21,796 pregnant women, 10,187 older adults with health preservation guidance, and 215,740 families in total.

The Health Minister expressed gratitude for the public’s enthusiastic participation and acknowledged the support of both public and private organizations in achieving these milestones. First Lady Raquel Arbaje also thanked those involved, including Health Minister Dr. Rivera and Dr. Gina Estrella, for their efforts in executing the initiative.

President Luis Abinader’s government considers the comprehensive health of the population a top priority, as highlighted by Arbaje, who also mentioned the School Health program, a collaboration involving various ministries and health organizations. She proudly referenced the “Take care of your mental health” telephone line, another Public Health initiative.

Dr. Gina Estrella credited the success of the Health Route to teamwork and community commitment. The event also included recognition of various provincial directorates for their outstanding contributions to the initiative, as well as acknowledgment of the First Lady, private companies, departmental managers, and Dr. Estrella for their roles in the program.

Originally inspired by President Abinader’s concern about the post-COVID-19 increase in chronic diseases, the Health Route started in provinces with high rates of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. To date, it has integrated about 35 services in different health areas.