Clemente Terrero, the health center’s director, stated that as a result of the cholera outbreak that erupted in Haiti at the end of last year, the hospital “has handled several patients with cholera who have come from different parts of the country” and that they realized it was “prudent” to have an exclusive unit for the reception of symptomatic patients. “Our hospital has prepared to continue providing first-class care to children affected by illness, with the highest quality standards and humane treatment,” he said.

This health center received seven suspected cholera cases, four confirmed as positive and three negative. Five of these cases involved minors from La Zurza, San Carlos, and Ocoa. The patients were between one and four years old. Irma Coradin, the hospital’s in-charge of infectious diseases, explained that not all patients require intravenous hydration because some recover with oral hydration. “It is a disease that, if not treated promptly, ruins people’s lives due to the dehydration it causes,” she explained. Similarly, she stated that “no mortality has been recorded thus far, thank God.”

The hospital has not yet been added to the list of medical facilities where vulnerable patients can get the cholera vaccine. Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes severe acute watery diarrhea. Symptoms can appear between 12 hours and 5 days after consuming contaminated food or water. Cholera affects both children and adults and, if left untreated, can be fatal in a matter of hours.

Two “white elephants” that cannot be used by a population of 7,000 families and have become a source of contamination for the residents of Villa Liberación, where a cholera outbreak has been declared and at least five people have died. Ruins of what was to be the plant to treat sanitary waste from part of the sector can be found in the Colina del Oriente II neighborhood. Old decanters, where liquids must have been stored, are now empty spaces where liana branches climb on all sides, transforming the space into a green leaf platform.

For years, the pipe that should have been discharged in the location was covered, and what was done was to channel pipes through the facilities, and fecal matter, urine, and other liquids were discharged directly into the Ozama River without any type of treatment. According to Leonardo López, president of the Colina Oriental Association of Neighborhood Councils, the plant began construction during the administration of former President Hipólito Mejia but was never completed. The plant only worked halfway for about three years, and since then, some engineers have received a while of quantifications to finish it. Still, the work did not progress until the project was abandoned entirely, he said, adding that even the soldiers who were in charge of the work were withdrawn.

Only the lagoon’s masonry works and the building where the caretakers lived remain. Doors, ironwork, furniture, grilles, and the entire waste treatment system that had been installed up until that point were all stolen. “The pipe is clogged every 20 meters, and cholera does not affect Villa Liberación, El Tamarindo, El Almirante, Sabana Pedida, Los Mina, or even the Caribbean Sea,” says the community leader.

The first meeting of the Alexandra School Alumni Association for the year will take the form of a discussion on healthy lifestyles and is open to the public.  

There will be a presenter from Dietitians of Barbados (DB), the first local professional organisation for registered dietitians and students in human nutrition and dietetics.

The discussion takes place on Saturday, January 28 at the school, Queen Street, St Peter at 4 p.m. and will touch on general health with a question-and-answer segment after the initial presentation by Meshell Carrington, vice-president of DB.  

A cookbook, Barbadian Gourmet, developed by dietitians at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with emphasis on local food, will also be on sale and there will be sampling of wine and cheese. 

The dietitian organisation was launched last July 15, and it “seeks to serve the public by acting as [a] resource of technical expertise in nutrition, through promotion of nutritious food choices and through advocacy to improve the Barbadian food environment”. 

(PR)

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GPPA, GrenCHAP, and the Ministry of Health deliver comprehensive and integrated SRH, GBV and HIV services across 4 parishes

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The event was presided over by First Lady Raquel Arbaje, in her capacity as President of the Cabinet; Vice President Raquel Peña; the Ministers of Health, Dr. Daniel Rivera and Luis Miguel De Camps; the Director of the SNS, Dr. Mario Lama; and the Executive Director of Senasa, Dr. Santiago Hazim. The cochlear implant program for children with hearing impairments aims to reduce school dropout by facilitating language development at a young age. In its first stage, this project will respond to cases of hearing loss in boys and girls from low-income families that the first lady has received over the last two years, with the help of Senasa.

“From the moment I began to develop the idea, I found the support of many willing to join the cochlear implant program for the benefit, above all, of the boys and girls with the greatest social and economic disadvantages, who need us the most. That is why, with the help of many, they have a preferential place in all of our efforts to improve their quality of life,” Arbaje said. Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña, emphasized that the goal is for every kid born to have access to these services and care so that it never has to be because they meet an official who you will be attended to; that is the goal: to leave it institutionalized in the country.

Dr. Eddy Pérez-Then, the special adviser to Mispas, presented the initiative, explaining that the first two operations were performed in December on patients with profound severe hearing loss, whose experiences allow us to confirm that the program and its objectives are goals that are achievable, real, and have a significant impact in the Dominican health sector.

The Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos, welcomed the Japanese government’s initiative in a press release, saying that it strengthens bilateral relations and friendship between the two countries by promoting technical cooperation through the supply of equipment, machinery, and materials.

“We thank you, His Excellency Mr. Takagi Masahiro, for this act of generosity and solidarity with the Dominican people, because the patients of these hospitals will now have the best care and services,” he said. He stated that the delivery of these three tomographs will provide the necessary modernization for the aforementioned hospital centers to develop a more accurate and early diagnosis.

“Our goal with these actions is to be able to provide health care that focuses on the timely detection of diseases and thus can provide timely treatment, and this can only be developed through the improvement and training of new equipment,” the official said. He assured that the healthcare system is evolving to improve quality, accessibility, and efficiency.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Tuesday announced that Guyana’s health care professionals would soon be able conduct diagnosis remotely. He also told the National Assembly that 1,000 nurses would be trained this year and 1,000 Guyanese would receive hearing aids free of cost on top of the 500 that were provided with those devices ...

SOURCE: Reuters – The U.S. health regulator on Monday proposed one dose of the latest updated COVID-19 shot annually for healthy adults, similar to the influenza immunization campaign, as it aims to simplify the country’s COVID-vaccine strategy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also asked its panel of external advisers to consider the usage of two COVID vaccine shots a year for some young children, older adults and persons with compromised immunity. The regulator proposed the need for routine selection of variants for updating the vaccine, similar to the way strains for flu vaccines are changed annually, in briefing documents ahead of a meeting of its panel on Thursday.

The FDA hopes annual immunization schedules may contribute to less complicated vaccine deployment and fewer vaccine administration errors, leading to improved vaccine coverage rates. The agency’s proposal was on expected lines, following its announcement of its intention for the update last month.

The Biden administration has also been planning for a campaign of vaccine boosters every fall season.

Currently, most people in the United States need to first get two doses of the original COVID vaccine spaced at least three to four weeks apart, depending on the vaccine, followed by a booster dose a few months later.

Pfizer’s primary vaccine doses for children and people involve three shots, with the third a bivalent shot given about two months later.

If the panel votes in favor of the proposal, Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) bivalent vaccines, which target both the Omicron and the original variants, would be used for all COVID vaccine doses, and not just as boosters.

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This processor was closed because it lacked the corresponding health records issued by that vice-ministry.

Furthermore, pseudomonas, a type of bacteria that frequently causes severe infections in humans, was detected in the processed water tests, as well as unsanitary conditions and a lack of heating.

Concerning the cholera disease, the Ministry of Public Health advises the public not to be alarmed, to pay attention to official reports, and to practice preventative measures such as frequent hand washing and food washing.

View the full post Dangers of consuming excessive amounts of added sugar on NOW Grenada.