By Sheria Brathwaite

The Barbados Diabetes Foundation has launched a new programme aimed at detecting vascular issues that could further deteriorate the health of people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

During a launch ceremony on Tuesday at the Maria Holder Diabetes Centre in Warrens, St Michael, consultant physician and clinical director at the foundation Dr Diane Brathwaite told the media that the foundation acquired an Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) machine to screen for vascular diseases more than a year ago and after intensive training, it was ready to roll out a national screening programme.

Having an NCD such as diabetes can increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis, which occurs when arteries harden or narrow from a build-up of plaque. People who have diabetes are also more at risk of getting a vascular disease because their blood sugar levels can be poorly controlled.

Dr Brathwaite said it was recommended for people over the age of 50 with diabetes or hypertension to have a vascular screening as part of their regular health checks. She added that younger people who have had an NCD for more than ten years should also get screened, as well as other people, especially young men, who smoke often and those who have a family history of NCDs.

“Another important point is that in our population in Barbados and the Caribbean, for some reason we are seeing severe peripheral artery disease in people at younger ages and when you have diabetes, that peripheral artery disease (PAD) can be very extensive. It means that it doesn’t block off one segment but it blocks off the whole length of the artery.  

“Rates of arterial insufficiency are relatively high in the ulcer patients that we see here. We just did an audit and PAD was present in about 60 per cent of our patients with diabetic ulcers so we advised all of our patients who come for ulcers, to do screening,” Dr Brathwaite said.

She said screening would take about 20 to 30 minutes and it was not painful. If an individual is symptomatic, a management treatment would be prescribed; and if a person was in critical condition, they would be referred to the vascular unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) for further evaluation.

A vascular check should be done yearly and the centre screens for a fee of $100.

Senior medical officer responsible for NCDs with the Ministry of Health Dr Arthur Phillips said the partnership between the QEH and the diabetes foundation since 2014 has borne fruitful results over the years. 

He said the hospital financed the care of about 225 people annually and they received six to nine months of care. 

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb

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The Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition (B-COP Coalition) continues its drive to prioritising children’s health. This time, it has donated 120 healthy hampers, filled with nutritious snacks for a week.

The recent implementation of the national school nutrition policy by the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training in April has sparked national attention and debate regarding access to affordable healthy food. B-COP Coalition, a leading advocate for this policy, has partnered with key sponsors to ensure these hampers are available, recognising that the back-to-school period can be both busy and costly for parents and guardians.

Dr Kia Lewis, the outgoing Chairperson of the B-COP Coalition, said: “In light of the new National School Nutrition Policy, the Coalition is very happy to roll out this Healthy Hamper: Back to School Edition, which is both healthy and cost-effective. We are targeting children in our childrens’ homes, at-risk youth, and our children in the Yute Gym of the Heart & Stroke Foundation.”

Dr Lewis further explained the initiative’s purpose, saying: “With this drive we wanted to show parents that it is possible to eat healthy on a budget. We know our schools have at least three water days, so the hampers have at least three bottles of water, an even cheaper way would be to buy a water bottle, you will also see several fruits in the hampers, given schools will be having two fruit days. Also, we have packed snacks as well, these are very reasonably priced and they would be compliant to the Alternative Snack and Beverage list, which shows the list of products on the market, which can be bought and given to our children for school.

“We are excited to launch this initiative and hope it assists Barbadian parents in making healthy choices for their children during school hours.”

This marks the B-COP Coalition’s second hamper drive, with the first taking place in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic, targeting Barbadians with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) who were more susceptible to the virus.

Several partners and sponsors made this initiative possible, including Signia Globe, Supreme Distributors, Guardian General, and the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Rendevous, where the hamper packing took place.

Marketing Officer of Signia Globe Richelle Lucas, commented: “We got a request and it was absolutely a no brainer for us to join with the Coalition. We know people think it is expensive to eat healthily, so we want to thank the Coalition for using these excellent examples of fruit and water. We are not saying that there are no snacks, yes there is a snack in the hampers but moderation is the key. Additionally, being able to work with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and get our children active and getting them active from young, so it sticks with them is important.” We are very happy to partner along with the Coalition and the other sponsors who have jumped on board for this worthy cause.

Meanwhile, Rhiyad Juman of Supreme Distributors said his firm was happy to give back to the community “by providing our 100 per cent natural Juices, our Fan juices and our Crystal Waters in order to provide for those children who may not know about the healthy options in Barbados. We are happy to help those who need the help” .

Expressing gratitude to the sponsors and partners for the initiative, Dr Lewis said: “We encourage corporate Barbados and other service groups to join us in supporting less fortunate children and fellow Barbadians as we collectively work towards a healthier way of life,’ she said. (PR)

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By Anesta Henry

Style met substance on Friday, as young males and the young at heart descended on the corner of Villa Road and Warner’s Road, Brittons Hill, for a fresh haircut and a healthy perspective on life. 

Amid the celebration of style and camaraderie, there was a poignant reminder of the ongoing prevalence of HIV/AIDS in society.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey, took centre stage at the annual “Man Aware (Free Haircuts)” event. With his own close-cropped coiffure setting the tone, made an impassioned appeal to citizens to embrace safe sexual practices as a way of life. As he stood at a popular community junction, his message echoed: “HIV is still very real. It is still very prevalent.”

The event attracted children to get a fresh trim for back to school. But beyond the cool haircuts, it was a chance to interact with professionals who shared age-appropriate information about HIV/AIDS. It was a unique opportunity for the younger generation to learn about responsible living in a fun and engaging way.

While the Ministry of Health and Wellness is yet to reveal the latest statistics on Barbados’ HIV/AIDS prevalence, Humphrey said the Ministry of People Empowerment was playing its role as it relates to educating Barbadians about the importance of engaging in healthy sexual practices.

He said: “The numbers we have are from 2020. But I do think that regardless of the numbers, the truth is that it is clear to me that we have to be able to engage in sexual practices that are healthy.

“I think that a lot of people think that HIV is no longer there, and a lot of people are behaving as if HIV is no longer real. In many cases, because of the medication that you now have, it has gone from being a life-depriving illness to almost a chronic illness; it is still very prevalent.”

Encouraging Barbadians to get tested to know their HIV/AIDS status,  Humphrey suggested that a person who knows they have a clean bill of health would refrain from engaging in unhealthy sexual practices.

People who have tested positive for HIV/AIDS would be aware that they must make the move to access medication, he added.

The Man Aware event went beyond haircuts by offering health check-ups, including blood pressure and sugar level assessments, in partnership with the Livewell Clinic. Humphrey highlighted the significance of these tests, emphasising that early detection can prevent life-altering non-communicable diseases.

“We are also working with the Livewell Clinic to be able to do health checks so that people can get their blood pressure checks and their sugar level checks to see if they are pre-diabetic or diabetic. This health check is one of the things that I think is going to be very important for the ministry.

“I think it is very important because a number of Barbadians are dealing with non-communicable issues, some of them becoming life-depriving in circumstances where they could be avoided if we get early testing and if we continue to do the things we are supposed to do, like eat right and make healthy choices. So, I want to thank the HIV/AIDS Commission for this work. I want to thank them for their constant advocacy, but I also feel like the time has come for Barbadians to recognise that the health choices we make in terms of what we eat also have consequences.”

The “Man Aware (Free Haircuts)” event, a blend of fashion and substance, continues to make its mark – one stylish haircut at a time – on Saturday at the Child Care Board, Cheapside, The City. 

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The Physiotherapy Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has received a near $4 000 boost to its capability to treat patients.

The aid package, which was donated by the Rotaract Club of South Barbados on Wednesday, is comprised of 15 folding walkers with wheels, seven Transcutaneous Electrical Nervous Stimulations (TENS) units to assist with pain management, and two exercise band kits.

The club’s immediate past president Graham Belle said the contribution was made possible through funds raised during the organisation’s annual Karting for Charity event.

He said the QEH was chosen as the chief beneficiary following a needs assessment conducted with the Physiotherapy Department.

Senior physiotherapist Dr Lynn Morris, who accepted the assistance package, said the equipment was critical to meet the increasing demand of patients seeking rehabilitation.

President of the Barbados Physiotherapy Association Stacey Boyce, meanwhile, expressed concern about an emerging trend of arthritis becoming more prevalent among younger people.

However, she gave the assurance that with the donation, the hospital was in a better position to help those requiring treatment for arthritis.

Arthritis is inflammation of the joint, and the two most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The donation was made during Physiotherapy Week which concludes on Saturday.

To mark the week starting on September 3, the Barbados Physiotherapy Association hosted several activities, including an open day on the ground floor corridor of the QEH. It is preparing for more activities on World Physiotherapy Day on Friday. (EJ/PR)

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(CMC) – Suriname has been named among eight countries that are adopting measures in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to protect the health of their populations from novel tobacco products.

The WHO said Friday that with the recent ban on the use and marketing of electronic cigarettes in Venezuela, currently, 21 countries in the Americas regulate electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), such as e-cigarettes and vapes.

“The resolution that regulates new and emerging nicotine and tobacco products in Venezuela is an important step forward for the country and for the region,” said Dr Anselm Hennis, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases Mental Health at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).

“We hope that this measure motivates other countries to take action on these products, which are addictive, harmful and aggressively advertised towards the youngest,” he added.

The eight new countries to join the initiative are Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela and PAHO said these countries prohibit their sale altogether, and the other 13 countries have partially or totally adopted one or more regulatory measures.

It said 14 countries in the Americas, including the Caribbean, lack any regulation of these products.

Last June, a previous resolution of the Venezuelan Ministry of Popular Power for Health banned the sale of vapes to minors.

Now, the August 1 resolution prohibits “the manufacture, storage, distribution, circulation, commercialization, importation, exportation, use, consumption, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of ENDS and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS)”, as well as their “consumables”, “accessories”, and “heated tobacco products”.

PAHO said e-cigarettes are the most common form of electronic nicotine delivery systems. When used, they heat a liquid to create aerosols that are inhaled by the user.

It said these “e-liquids” contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance found in tobacco, and other additives, flavorings and chemicals, some of which are toxic to the health of both the user and those exposed to them.

PAHO/WHO recommends that governments implement regulations in line with the provisions of the FCTC and its decisions, such as prohibiting the marketing of ENDS, including their importation, distribution or sale, as well as regulations on their use in public places, prohibiting their advertising and promotion, taxing them, and other regulations similar to those applied to tobacco products.

Tobacco kills one million people in the region of the Americas annually and while measures taken since the FCTC came into force in 2005 ha per cent in 2020, these achievements are threatened by novel tobacco and nicotine products.

Currently, 11.3 per cent of adolescents between 13 and 15 years of age in the region use tobacco, compared to the world average of 10.3 per cent.

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At any given time during daylight hours, elderly Chinese gather in large groups to exercise and socialise.

It was one of my thought-provoking discoveries during my visit last month to the East Asian nation where life expectancy is 77.47 years.

At almost every place of interest, delegates of the Seminar for National Press Officers and Journalists from Belt and Road Countries, who were in Beijing from July 12 to July 25, witnessed scores of senior citizens working up a sweat. 

No matter their physical structure or gender, many of them engaged in a variety of exercise routines – some simple, others testing their mental and physical strength. Others engaged in dance sessions, sang or played musical instruments. 

The game Ti Zian Ji, during which players use their feet instead of racquets to hit a shuttlecock, appeared to be a favourite. According to unofficial reports, some Chinese would spend hours playing the game.

But whatever they were doing, these seniors all looked stress-free and relaxed.

It was explained to the 14 delegates that China’s elderly care policy plans request local governments to set up facilities for senior education and leisure, including parks, green spaces, and sporting facilities.

Some of us remarked that we would love to see similar spaces being created for elderly citizens in our own countries.

It made me think that even though the elderly in Barbados flock to the beaches for water therapy and exercise, local authorities could perhaps follow China’s lead and develop additional safe recreational spaces across the island for older folk.

While on a visit to the Temple of Heaven, some of us joined in a dancing session in the recreational area there.

The Temple of Heaven is the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties “worshipped the heaven” and “prayed for the good harvest”.

Tour guide Lili Yang said that almost every day, retirees visit the location, which is also used as a public park, to exercise.

“We have a lot of public parks in Beijing provided by the local government and they are open to retired people to go for morning and evening exercise. We have a lot of retired people, so going to the parks is a kind of social life for Chinese local elderly people,” Yang said. 

“They dance and they play musical instruments and they do all kinds of activities that help them to entertain themselves. Whether they are dancing, singing or exercising, you can see on their faces that they are very happy with what they are doing. The retired people are very happy that they have these parks where they can go.”

Another highlight of the two-week seminar was the visit to the Yunnan Ethnic Village, located on the south side of Kunming. 

The village is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Yunnan province’s capital and largest. 

Ethnic minority villages, including those of the Dai, Bai and Yi people, have their own folk customs and craft performances. 

During minority festivals such as the Songkran Festival in April and the Torch Festival in July and August, the ethnic village also hosts lively celebrations which thousands travel from far and near to see. 

Tomorrow, we bring the final installment of Anesta Meets China, a five-part series about the experience of Barbados TODAY journalist Anesta Henry in China.

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Speaking at the 7th Annual General Meeting of the Breastfeeding & Child Nutrition Foundation at the Sandy Lane Hotel on Saturday, July 15, Dr Sonia Browne, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health & Wellness, emphasised the potential of breastfeeding in mitigating the risk of chronic noncommunicable diseases in children throughout their lives.

Dr Browne highlighted that breastfed children experience a reduced risk of developing various conditions including but not limited to, asthma, severe respiratory diseases, obesity, ear infections, and gastrointestinal infections. She explained that breastfeeding also fosters a profound bond between mother and child while offering numerous benefits to the mother such as a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, breast and ovarian cancer, and postpartum weight loss. 

Expressing her admiration for the Breastfeeding & Child Nutrition Foundation’s initiatives, Dr Browne acknowledged their efforts in empowering women and promoting effective breastfeeding practices. 

“I am particularly impressed by the many initiatives of the Foundation…including programmes such as the Baby and Me Breastfeeding Support Group, the Baby and Me WhatsApp Group, breastfeeding classes and consultations, advocacy for breastfeeding-friendly workshop policies, and community outreach.”

Echoing her sentiments, Dr Alison Bernard, the Executive Director of the Breastfeeding & Child Nutrition Foundation, commented, “We came up with this year’s theme, Achieving our Vision: Building Community Capacity for the Future, very quickly, because empowering our beneficiaries to optimise their children’s nutrition is a high-priority objective for the BCNF.”

Providing families with the necessary tools, education, and skills to improve their children’s nutrition lies at the core of the organisation’s mission.

 Dr. Bernard further stressed the need for employers to implement supportive measures for new mothers in the workplace, including the provision of clean and private spaces for pumping and storing breast milk. She advocated for flexible work hours and remote work options, which can lead to benefits for employers such as decreased absenteeism, improved productivity, employee satisfaction, retention, and reduced medical insurance claims.

Recognising the significance of breastfeeding on public health and well-being, the World Health Assembly has set a target of achieving a breastfeeding rate of at least 50 per cent by 2025. However, a critical aspect lacking in Barbados’ breastfeeding efforts is up-to-date breastfeeding data. The last available data is from 2012, which hinders accurate assessment and progress tracking on a national level. The Breastfeeding & Child Nutrition Foundation urges the ministry to prioritise the collection of current and comprehensive breastfeeding data, stressing the need for understanding breastfeeding practices, duration, and the transition to solid foods.

Breastfeeding plays a vital role in the development and long-term health of children, and it is essential to support and encourage breastfeeding practices at all levels. By championing breastfeeding and empowering mothers, Barbados can enhance the well-being of its population and achieve lasting positive impacts. It is estimated that for every $1 spent on breastfeeding, there is a return on investment of $35, and upscaling breastfeeding globally could potentially save $300 billion annually. Implementing a range of policies and actions will allow Barbados to reach national and international health goals for the population.

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Health and education officials in Barbados are sharing ideas on how to accelerate the removal of ultra-processed products from schools across the region.

They are hoping this will be one of several strategic approaches to address the issue of childhood obesity, which they said has become very worrisome.

They are holding discussions at a two-day event which opened on Tuesday at the Courtyard by Marriott Bridgetown, hosted by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), and attended by several local and regional stakeholders.

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SEATTLE (AP) — The next big advance in cancer treatment could be a vaccine.

After decades of limited success, scientists say research has reached a turning point, with many predicting more vaccines will be out in five years.

These aren’t traditional vaccines that prevent disease, but shots to shrink tumors and stop cancer from coming back. Targets for these experimental treatments include breast and lung cancer, with gains reported this year for deadly skin cancer melanoma and pancreatic cancer.

“We’re getting something to work. Now we need to get it to work better,” said Dr. James Gulley, who helps lead a center at the National Cancer Institute that develops immune therapies, including cancer treatment vaccines.

More than ever, scientists understand how cancer hides from the body’s immune system. Cancer vaccines, like other immunotherapies, boost the immune system to find and kill cancer cells. And some new ones use mRNA, which was developed for cancer but first used for COVID-19 vaccines.

For a vaccine to work, it needs to teach the immune system’s T cells to recognize cancer as dangerous, said Dr. Nora Disis of UW Medicine’s Cancer Vaccine Institute in Seattle. Once trained, T cells can travel anywhere in the body to hunt down danger.

“If you saw an activated T cell, it almost has feet,” she said. “You can see it crawling through the blood vessel to get out into the tissues.”

Patient volunteers are crucial to the research.

Kathleen Jade, 50, learned she had breast cancer in late February, just weeks before she and her husband were to depart Seattle for an around-the-world adventure. Instead of sailing their 46-foot boat, Shadowfax, through the Great Lakes toward the St. Lawrence Seaway, she was sitting on a hospital bed awaiting her third dose of an experimental vaccine. She’s getting the vaccine to see if it will shrink her tumor before surgery.

“Even if that chance is a little bit, I felt like it’s worth it,” said Jade, who is also getting standard treatment.

Progress on treatment vaccines has been challenging. The first, Provenge, was approved in the U.S. in 2010 to treat prostate cancer that had spread. It requires processing a patient’s own immune cells in a lab and giving them back through IV. There are also treatment vaccines for early bladder cancer and advanced melanoma.

Early cancer vaccine research faltered as cancer outwitted and outlasted patients’ weak immune systems, said Olja Finn, a vaccine researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

“All of these trials that failed allowed us to learn so much,” Finn said.

As a result, she’s now focused on patients with earlier disease since the experimental vaccines didn’t help with more advanced patients. Her group is planning a vaccine study in women with a low-risk, noninvasive breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ.

More vaccines that prevent cancer may be ahead too. Decades-old hepatitis B vaccines prevent liver cancer and HPV vaccines, introduced in 2006, prevent cervical cancer.

In Philadelphia, Dr. Susan Domchek, director of the Basser Center at Penn Medicine, is recruiting 28 healthy people with BRCA mutations for a vaccine test. Those mutations increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The idea is to kill very early abnormal cells, before they cause problems. She likens it to periodically weeding a garden or erasing a whiteboard.

Others are developing vaccines to prevent cancer in people with precancerous lung nodules and other inherited conditions that raise cancer risk.

“Vaccines are probably the next big thing” in the quest to reduce cancer deaths, said Dr. Steve Lipkin, a medical geneticist at New York’s Weill Cornell Medicine, who is leading one effort funded by the National Cancer Institute. “We’re dedicating our lives to that.”

People with the inherited condition Lynch syndrome have a 60% to 80% lifetime risk of developing cancer. Recruiting them for cancer vaccine trials has been remarkably easy, said Dr. Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who is leading two government-funded studies on vaccines for Lynch-related cancers.

“Patients are jumping on this in a surprising and positive way,” he said.

Drugmakers Moderna and Merck are jointly developing a personalized mRNA vaccine for patients with melanoma, with a large study to begin this year. The vaccines are customized to each patient, based on the numerous mutations in their cancer tissue. A vaccine personalized in this way can train the immune system to hunt for the cancer’s mutation fingerprint and kill those cells.

But such vaccines will be expensive.

“You basically have to make every vaccine from scratch. If this wasn’t personalized, the vaccine could probably be made for pennies, just like the COVID vaccine,” said Dr. Patrick Ott of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

The vaccines under development at UW Medicine are designed to work for many patients, not just a single patient. Tests are underway in early and advanced breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer. Some results may come as soon as next year.

Todd Pieper, 56, from suburban Seattle, is participating in testing for a vaccine intended to shrink lung cancer tumors. His cancer spread to his brain, but he’s hoping to live long enough to see his daughter graduate from nursing school next year.

“I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, either for me or for other people down the road,” Pieper said of his decision to volunteer.

One of the first to receive the ovarian cancer vaccine in a safety study 11 years ago was Jamie Crase of nearby Mercer Island. Diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer when she was 34, Crase thought she would die young and had made a will that bequeathed a favorite necklace to her best friend. Now 50, she has no sign of cancer and she still wears the necklace.

She doesn’t know for sure if the vaccine helped, “But I’m still here.”

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Director of the Barbados Drug Service (BDS), Maryam Karga-Hinds, has provided an update regarding some of the drugs which have been affected by recent supply challenges.

Karga-Hinds stated that with respect to the steroid Prednisolone, which is used to treat several conditions, including asthma and Long-COVID, there have been a number of delays in shipment from the contracted supplier, causing the need for a second supplier to be contracted. The shipment of this drug is now scheduled to arrive in two to three weeks. The Drug Service is also currently searching for stock that is readily available.

Additionally, she said there has been an issue with the drug Androcur (Cyproterone), which is used to treat prostate cancer, where the manufacturers have been experiencing shortages with obtaining the raw materials. This has resulted in rationing, leading to buyers not receiving the amounts ordered from the suppliers.

Karga-Hinds noted that the Barbados Drug Service contracted a generic supplier to fill the need, but the product has to be manufactured and the generic is not expected to be ready before the end of June. There is a limited supply on island.

She further stated that in the past few months, there have been significant challenges with Epilim which is used to treat epilepsy. She pointed out that this is not a product which can be easily interchanged.

The local agent has indicated that small quantities of the 300 mg and 500 mg have been shipped, however, the 300 mg strength is scheduled for discontinuation by year-end. The Drug Service is actively looking for a replacement product.

The Director indicated that the supplier of Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, has advised that a limited supply is available on island and should be ready for sale shortly.

She also shared that a shipment of Ventolin liquid, which is used to treat asthma, is on its way to the island adding that, recently, a quantity of this drug expired and had to be destroyed because of the lack of demand. Ventolin tablet is no longer on the Barbados national drug formulary.

Karga-Hinds expressed regret over any challenges experienced by the public as it relates to availability of medication. She stated that the management and staff of the Barbados Drug Service will continue to do all in their capacity to re-establish supply of the items that are out of stock.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is committed to updating the public with relevant information as it becomes available.

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