The specialist highlights that not all sudden deaths are due to heart attacks, so it is essential to undergo periodic preventive and/or control evaluations for underlying diseases in some individuals.

“Sudden deaths can be prevented. In people under 35 years of age, the most common cause is usually congenital heart disease, either electrical (arrhythmias) or anatomical, while, in those over 35 years of age, it is more common for it to be due to a heart attack,” she explains.

She adds that it is important to distinguish between a heart attack, which occurs when an artery in the heart is blocked due to factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and smoking, and sudden death itself, which refers to the sudden cessation of vital signs or cardiac arrest.

Among the recommendations she offers to prevent sudden death are undergoing preventive evaluations from an early age (consulting a pediatric cardiologist before the age of 17 and transitioning to an adult cardiologist afterward), not minimizing symptoms, paying attention to them, and seeking medical advice. Additionally, for overall cardiovascular health, it is recommended to reduce alcohol consumption, exercise 3 to 4 times a week, get 7 to 9 hours of sleep, reduce the consumption of foods high in saturated fats, excess sugar, and salt, manage stress with appropriate tools, avoid smoking in any form, and undergo preventive evaluations before engaging in exercises or sports, among other measures.

According to the CEMDOE specialist, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases can be modified, such as not smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight, knowing your cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight numbers, among others, or non-modifiable factors such as sex, age, race, or hereditary genetics. Therefore, they must be detected in time to understand one’s medical history and prevent complications.

The Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI)-funded Enhancing Community Wellness Project, which aims to reduce the prevalence of chronic health conditions in 150 participants was officially launched August 30 at 3t EnerMech, Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD). This project is being led by the Roraima Learning Trust (RLT) and aims to reduce the prevalence of chronic health ...

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic has a significant issue with trauma-related morbidity and mortality, particularly affecting the working-age population, and holds a troubling global ranking for traffic accident-related fatalities.

To address this concern, the social entrepreneurship project #TraumaRD, along with the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University and the Dominican Academy of Medicine, is leading the “Dominican Trauma Week” initiative.

The campaign aims to foster collaboration among academia, public, and private sectors to tackle the significant public health challenge posed by traumas and accidents.

Dr. Amado Alejandro Báez, an expert in emergency medicine and trauma critical care, is a key figure behind TraumaRD and Trauma Week, emphasizing the urgency of addressing trauma as a critical problem impacting Dominican public health.

Dr. Báez invites all Dominicans to participate by sharing personal stories, ideas, and solutions on social media using the hashtags #SemanaDeTraumaRD and #TRaumaWeekDR.

The Dominican Trauma Week 2023, organized by Drs. Luis Taveras, Alejandro Soto, and Marino Estrella include various activities throughout the week of September 4-10, 2023.

Activities include press and social media circuits, a virtual presentation on Road Accident Reduction, a Bleeding Control Course (Stop the Bleed), and a presentation of cases related to trauma surgery, emergencies, and critical care.

The week also involves the launch of the Dr. Tito Suero Portoreal Trauma Research Contest and an International Panel of Experts TraumaRD / SODOEM focused on solutions for trauma and accidents as a public health imperative.

Prominent panelists include Dr. Amado Alejandro Báez representing TraumaRD, Dr. Josué Hernández from SNS hospital emergencies, Dr. Ruddy de Gracia in charge of Prehospital care of the National Health Service (SNS), Dr. Luis Loro, President of ALACED, Dr. Víctor Rosario, Representative of the Dominican Society of Orthopedics, and Dr. Ouel Sosa, Representative of the Dominican College of Surgeons.

The overarching goal is to raise awareness and promote solutions for improving public health outcomes in the Dominican Republic related to trauma and accidents.

“Current weather models indicate relatively high temperatures (above 31.7℃), light winds and low rainfall at least for the next 3 days”

View the full post Heatwave advisory message to parents/guardians on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo.- The President of the Dominican Medical College (CMD), Senén Caba, has expressed deep concern about the dengue situation in the country, describing it as “out of control.” He criticized the government’s response to the issue and emphasized that the surge in dengue cases during this time of year due to rain was a predictable scenario. Caba also warned that leptospirosis and malaria could follow suit, as the CMD had previously indicated. As of August 28, there have been 5,145 registered cases of dengue, excluding the latest week’s data.

Caba suggested that instead of conducting fumigation campaigns in areas with high dengue incidence, the Ministry of Public Health should have immediately engaged various institutions with large groups, such as the Armed Forces, universities, National Police, and schools, to promote actions like clearing vacant lots, removing makeshift landfills, and disposing of waste. He criticized what he perceived as political motives and business interests overshadowing the genuine response to the health crisis.

He noted the increasing hospitalizations due to dengue cases and mentioned that specialists had informed him of the situation being out of control. He specifically cited the case of a private clinic in the eastern zone with more than 20 admissions in a week. Caba also lamented the focus on curative hospital care instead of prioritizing quality primary care and prevention.

Caba stressed that while dengue affects everyone, it disproportionately impacts the poor. He criticized the lack of emphasis on prevention, education, and promotion by the social security system, despite legal obligations. He highlighted that these diseases are preventable with modest investments and political determination.

Concluding his statement, Caba pointed out the need for responsible resource usage by minimizing unnecessary printing to protect the environment.

The 154-year-old Psychiatric Hospital, Berbice would be closed eventually, and provision made to accommodate mentally ill patients at a new New Amsterdam Hospital that would be constructed, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said.l “Over time, the current facilities that we have in New Amsterdam, we’ll be closing those facilities,” he told the opening of a ...

The presence of dengue serotype three is causing an increase in the number of disease cases in the country and a greater demand for medical care.

This serotype (DENV-3) has not circulated in the country for several years and, therefore, has found more susceptible people without contact with it.

This was revealed yesterday by the Vice-Minister of Collective Health, Dr. Eladio Perez, who recalled that in general in the country, the one that has circulated the most each year is serotype 2, which has always been present in recent years.

He explained that although the severity of this dengue serogroup is not more significant, there is a lot of vulnerable population that does not have the immunity it has against serogroup 2, which has always been the most present in the Dominican territory.

Dr. Perez was interviewed while participating in the opening ceremony of the third Annual Meeting of Epistemic Communities 2023 held in the country with the theme Emerging Technologies and Community Empowerment, organized by Two Oceans In Health (2OIH).

Santo Domingo and Santiago

He reported that the presence of dengue serotype three was identified in Greater Santo Domingo and Santiago, among other locations in the country, but that, nevertheless, the endemic corridor has exceeded the number of cases expected to date. Still, it has not yet entered an unmanageable stage.

He informed that currently, the highest number of dengue cases is in Santo Domingo Norte, where interventions are being carried out by the Ministry of Public Health together with the Mayor’s Office and the National Health Service, with the removal of garbage, fumigation, and awareness and education.

He said that there is a greater affluence of patients coming to the health facilities’ consultation services but that the parameters of hospitalization remain within the expected.

In the region

“We have in the country a serogroup of dengue in the country the three, which had been found previously, but had already several years that was not present, in that sense there is a lot of vulnerable population,” said the deputy minister of collective health.

He pointed out that dengue is on the rise throughout the region, and data from the World Health Organization indicate that the Dominican Republic is the country with the best indicators.

In 2023, noted the Vice Minister of Public Health, the region of the Americas has experienced a significant increase in dengue cases. So far, more than 3 million new infections have been recorded, surpassing the figures for 2019, the year with the highest recorded incidence of this disease in the region with 3.1 million cases, including 28,203 severe cases and 1,823 deaths.

Four serotypes

The four dengue serotypes are DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4, which circulate in the different countries of the Americas, and there may be cases where all of them circulate simultaneously.

According to experts, infection with one serotype followed by another condition with a different serotype increases a person’s risk of severe dengue fever and even death.

Dengue is transmitted to people by the bite of the Aedes aegyptis mosquito that breeds in clean water, especially that which accumulates in or around homes. The recommendations for its control are to eliminate containers that become breeding places, cover water used for domestic use, and go to the doctor at the first symptoms of the disease, which begins with sudden fever, pain behind the eyes and head, and general malaise.

Scientific meeting

The meeting of Epistemic Communities held yesterday in the country brought together renowned researchers who discussed different topics related to artificial intelligence and the role of technology and science in the face of future pandemics.

The renowned researcher Dr. Jeffrey V Lazarus, PhD, MIH, MA. Director of the Health Systems Research Group at ISGlobal, University of Barcelona, Spain, was in charge of the Inaugural Conference of the event, with the theme “Delphi Method as a catalyst of epistemic communities: international approach for the response to COVID-19 and future pandemics”.

The activity was organized by Two Oceans In Health (2OIH), which is a health research center dedicated to building knowledge that empowers communities in the Dominican Republic through Health Research, Data Management, and Academic Initiatives, led by researchers Eddy Perez Then and Marija Miric.

The number of street dwellers in commercial Georgetown has been reduced significantly and a number of them have been trained and employed, according to Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud. “Some people don’t like to abide by the rules. Some people like the street kind of conditions and some people refuse ...

Santo Domingo.- UNICEF has raised concern over the rising prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean, which surpasses the global average. The organization has urged countries in the region to prioritize the prevention of this condition as a national public health goal.

In children under 5 years old, overweight prevalence increased from 6.8% (3.9 million people) in 2000 to 8.6% (4.2 million) in 2022. For children and adolescents aged 5 to 19, the prevalence of overweight rose from 21.5% (35 million people) in 2000 to 30.6% (49 million) in 2016. This alarming trend is attributed to obesogenic food environments that promote consumption of unhealthy products high in sugar, fat, and salt, as well as limited physical activity.

Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence can lead to non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, hypertension, cancer, and a shorter life expectancy. UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Garry Conille, emphasized the need to prioritize the health and well-being of children and adolescents.

UNICEF called for countries to declare the prevention of childhood overweight as a national public health priority, involving key stakeholders such as the public sector, academia, civil society, and the private sector.

The organization also stressed the importance of analyzing the causes of childhood overweight on a country-by-country basis and implementing evidence-based interventions that prioritize children’s rights. Increased public investment and resource allocation for prevention efforts, including surveillance and monitoring systems, are also recommended.

Two field hospitals costing approximately US$1 million were donated by the United States Government in March 2022 for emergency purposes

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