Health

Gastrointestinal Illness On The Rise

Gastrointestinal illness continues to increase, and health officials have identified a new virus cause among lab samples – rotavirus.

This rise in cases, in adults and children, has been seen since late April until present.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness reported that for the diarrheal samples tested, three samples from late May and early June showed the presence of rotavirus, in addition to the bacterial foodborne pathogens that have been previously identified. Rotavirus is a very contagious agent spread by contact with objects or persons contaminated with infected stool.

Vomiting was a prominent symptom for many persons, according to health authorities.

As a result, members of the public are being urged to employ proper hand hygiene methods, such as washing their hands regularly, especially before eating, and to continue to be cautious when purchasing ready-to-eat food items.

The uptick in cases in persons older than five years moved from 34 at the end of April, to 76 cases in the week ending May 11, 2024.

Since then, weekly numbers have been falling, most recently to 46 cases in the week ending June 15, 2024, but are still above the alert threshold. At this time of the year, the alert level for this age group is fewer than eight cases.

In children under five years old, the number of cases has moved from eight for the week ending April 27, to peaking at 27 cases in the week ending May 18, 2024.

Persons are encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry them with disposable tissue, especially after changing nappies, using the toilet, or before eating. If soap and water are not available, the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitiser is recommended.

Those who purchase items to eat should ensure that sellers conduct appropriate food handling practices, such as protecting food from flies and other vectors; using suitable utensils to touch food; and maintaining hot or cold items at the correct temperatures. Hot foods must be kept above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and cold foods at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

Health officials further advise that people keep unwashed hands away from the eyes, nose, and mouth, and to generally avoid touching these areas as germs can enter the body this way. (PR/GIS)

Health

Antimicrobial Resistance Week, Mon Nov 18 – Sun Nov 24

Health

More Nurses Arrive From Ghana

Barbados’ nursing complement has been boosted with the arrival of 155 nurses from Ghana at the Grantley Adams International Airport, yesterday.

The nurses, who were accompanied by Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Health, Adelaide Ntim, were greeted by Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, and other officials.

This is the third cohort of Ghanaian nurses to be dispatched to Barbados since 2020, to address the local nursing shortage. Ninety-five nurses came in the first group during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 120 more arrived in 2022, some of whom are still employed here and have made Barbados their home.

Minister Walcott explained that the nurses would be assigned to various specialty areas of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ primary care facilities. These areas include cardiology, accident and emergency theatre, midwifery, psychiatric medicine, and geriatrics.

“So, we’re looking for these nurses to help improve the overall delivery of our healthcare,” stated Dr. Walcott.

Ms. Ntim said Ghana had a surplus of nurses, some of whom were not even employed. She said she welcomed the partnership with Barbados.

The Deputy Minister of Health added that nurses from the previous cohorts proved that they were more than capable of doing their jobs, and expressed confidence that the most recent cohort would also “deliver”. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, in discussion with Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Health, Adelaide Ntim, at the Grantley Adams International Airport yesterday. Senator Walcott was on hand to welcome 155 Ghanaian nurses to Barbados

Health

CHANGES TO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

The Ministry of Health will soon roll out a number of changes to the island’s primary healthcare system, in order to drastically address the high numbers of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) seen among the Barbadian population.
This announcement was made by Senior Minister of Health and Wellness, the Most Honourable Dr. Jerome Walcott, as he presented a token of appreciation to Dr. Trevor Hassell in recognition of his outstanding efforts in educating Barbadians on the importance of addressing non-communicable diseases NCDs.
Walcott said, “I have a personal mandate that we should try to reduce the premature adult mortality from NCDs by a third. It is not impossible, it can be done, and in the course of the next few weeks, you will gradually see a roll out of parts of this process.”

He stressed “You will see the plans for primary healthcare; everybody is focused on QEH and tertiary healthcare, but the fundamentals of healthcare have to do with primary healthcare. The ability of early prevention, detection to get better health outcomes. We are looking at that in a project to be discussed soon.”
The Health Minister also revealed that additional screening for a variety of NCDs and cancers will also be made available.
“Within the ministry we are looking at a number of screening processes. We are looking to roll out before the end of this month a colonic screening process initially in two polyclinics, and thereafter we expand. We are looking at a cervical cancer screening process; we are looking at providing mammography services within the QEH again as was previously done up until 2008 where persons can have access to mammograms again for early detection and treatment for cancers.