On Monday, February 19, the team from the Vector Control Unit will visit a number of districts in St Andrew. They are Corbin’s Road, Lakes Road, Farrell Road, Isolation Road, Jordan Road, Franklin Doughlin Road, Babylon Road, Walkers, Bawden’s Road, and environs.

The following areas in St Peter will be fogged on Tuesday, February 20: French Village, Mount Brevitor, West Ring Road, Vuemont, Bow Drive, Inner Circle, Mile- and- a- Quarter, and surrounding districts.

On Wednesday, February 21, the St Peter districts of Maynard’s Road, Maynard’s Housing Area, Leslie Gardens, Carpenter’s Circle, Rose Hill, and environs will be sprayed.

The team will target the St Lucy districts of Trent’s Road, Hannays Road, Swampy Town, Hope Bridge Road, and neighbouring areas on Thursday, February 22.

Fogging will conclude for the week on Friday, February 23, in St Thomas in White Hall Road, Country View, Hill View Drive, and environs.

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, it will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

(PR)

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The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has now acquired modern equipment that can use ultrasonic energy to break up large and complex kidney stones without the need for open surgery, the health care institution said. The GPHC said so far more than 20 persons have benefitted from the state-of-the art Swiss Lithoclas Master ultrasonic lithotripter ...

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) has expanded its sponsorship through the Theme Category for the upcoming Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) NGC Caribbean Media Awards to two (2) categories; Print Media and Television. The HCC recognises the importance of the content published by the regional media, as a key partner, in the efforts to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases, across the Caribbean. Media advocacy around healthy food policies supports on-the-ground and digital communication campaigns across the Caribbean. Through this effort, the HCC continues to encourage the media to increase the coverage and the focus on comprehensive healthy nutrition food policies, as one of the key steps in promoting an environment which is conducive to good health.

On August 13, 2024, the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC) CBU Caribbean Media Awards Gala event transmitted live from Belize, will include an award for print journalism and television journalism under the theme: Healthy Nutrition Food Policy.  The prize will include a trophy as well as a BBD $2,000.00 bursary for the Award winners each, to produce additional material under the theme. This year, the HCC will also sponsor the travel and accommodation of the two (2) winners in the theme category: Healthy Nutrition Food Policy; Print and Television, to attend the Awards.

The eligible entries for the HCC-supported Award will explore regional healthy food policies including regulating school food environments, particularly  through the restriction or  ban on the sale and marketing of ultra-processed food products in schools (including sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs)); fiscal policies to make healthy foods more affordable while deterring consumption of unhealthy ultra-processed food products through taxation such as the introduction of or increase in SSB taxes of at least 20%; and strengthening food labelling through the introduction of octagonal ‘high-in’ warning labels on pre-packaged foods  using the PAHO nutrient profile model.

This category is open to all print and television media, whether or not they are CBU members, operating from: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands; the Commonwealth of Dominica; Grenada; Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat; St. Kitts & Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent & the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Entries must have been published between January 1 and December 31, of 2023 and can be submitted through to February 29, 2024.

In welcoming the continued partnership with the CBU, HCC Communications Officer, Mrs. Sheena Warner-Edwards noted that

the HCC has been able to fortify direct engagement with the region’s media. In small developing settings such as those in the Caribbean, the media has been a major partner in the public health space. As partners, they have served as crucial health information vehicles. Their significant influence has led to increased awareness in and adoption of best public health practices, exemplified by the productive dialogue around and implementation of healthy nutrition food policies across the region”.

HCC Communications Officer, Mrs. Sheena Warner-Edwards

More information on the Awards can be obtained from CBU’s website, HCC’s website or through CBU’s and HCC’s other online platforms.

The post HCC Expands Its Theme Sponsorship for the 2023 CBU Caribbean Media Awards appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

The Ministry of Labour  said it was investigating a fatal accident which occurred at approximately 7:38 AM Tuesday morning, at the John Fernandes Limited Port Facility on Water Street, Georgetown. The Labour Department said 64-year-old Trevor Jones, a stevedore foreman of Mandela Avenue, East Ruimveldt, was walking behind a super reach stacker as it was ...

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC) new, sophisticated Pathology Laboratory will reduce the time persons wait on cancer test results, and the service will also be available to sister Caribbean Community, officials said at the official opening of the multi-million dollar facility. “We want here to be the go-to center in the Caribbean and I ...

President Irfaan Ali on Sunday announced that the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) School of Medicine would be relocated to Guyana He said the School of Medicine would be located in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to also allow students from beighbouring Suriname to study there. No date was provided as, according to Dr Ali, ...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Vector Control Unit will target the parishes of St Philip and St Michael for fogging this week.

The team will be in St Philip for the first four days of the week before moving onto communities in St Michael.

On Monday, February 5, the Unit will spray College Savannah 1 & 2, Fortescue and environs. The following day, Tuesday, February 6, they will concentrate their mosquito eradication efforts in Blades Hill 1 to 3, Bayfield, Skeete’s Bay, and neighbouring districts.

Culpepper Development, Marley Vale, St. Catherine Road, Ragged Point, and surrounding areas will be targeted on Wednesday, February 7.

The team will wrap up in St Philip on Thursday, February 8, when they fog Industry Hall, Content Cot, and Coles Road.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday, February 9, when the Unit visits the following areas in St Michael: Passage Road, Passage Garden, Alleyne Lane, Strathclyde Crescent, Strathclyde Drive, and Monteith Gardens.

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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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recommending that people in Guyana wear dust masks due to a high concentration of Sahara dust in parts of Guyana. Air quality monitoring stations list air quality in parts of Georgetown, East Bank Demerara and East Berbice as “unhealthy”. “The public is advised to limit their time spent outdoors ...

Barbadians now have access to testing for genetic eye diseases, as it is readily available on the island for the first time.

Dr Charles Pierce is the pioneer behind bringing the testing to the island, after realising the need for more accurate diagnosis in eye diseases among the population.

“There has always been this gap in terms of diagnosis of inherited eye disease. Sometimes you can say “this looks like something, but we’ve never had a genetic confirmation. That is something I want to move forward,” Pierce said.

Pierce has more than 15 years’ experience in the field, having worked in Barbados and the United Kingdom (UK).

Having studied Ophthalmology in the UK, zoning in on diseases affecting the back of the eye, his curiosity was piqued as to what genes are responsible for causing inherited diseases in the Caribbean. There has not been a test on the island, to allow families to know their status as it relates to inherited diseases.

“We are moving into an era of personalized medicine where we can look forward to treat inherited  eye diseases but only if we know the genetic cause. Without this information,  we’re never going to have treatments tailored for people in the Caribbean,” Pierce said.

“In a lot of countries, diagnosis is based on testing patients to identify the gene causing the problem. I wanted to bring that to Barbados.”

Testing for genetic eye diseases in Barbados will allow for a more accurate understanding of the genetic abnormalities and how prevalent they are across the island. Through a simple swab of the mouth, the saliva collected can be analysed for testing.

“The hope is that more people will be able to get a definitive diagnosis. We can hopefully build a library of the different genetic abnormalities that are in our population,  leading  to more research and insight to treatments in the future,” Pierce said.

Persons with an inherited eye disease can experience night blindness and changes to central vision. Currently, patients with low vision manage their disease through habit changes such as wearing of shades, magnification and enlargement of fonts on smart devices.

(PR)

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According to the organisation, the medical professionals can broaden their knowledge and equip themselves with the requisite skills to professionally deliver high-quality […]

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