health
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Possible human trials of Zika vaccine by September
TEXAS, United States, Thursday May 19, 2016 – Scientists have for the first time cloned the Zika virus, an important development towards fast-tracking a vaccine against the disease. The genetically engineered copy is a replica of the strain that is spreading across Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing an increase in microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with…
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St. Kitts and Nevis leads regional charge towards vector control
Basseterre, St. Kitts – St. Kitts and Nevis Minister of Health, the Hon. Eugene Hamilton said that there was no greater threat to our health security than vectors and the diseases they transmit. He noted this at the second Workshop to Develop a Regional Network on Research and Control of Emerging Vector-Bourne Diseases in the Caribbean being held in St. Kitts from May…
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Development of marijuana industry urgent – Jamaica Finance Minister
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, says Jamaica must move with urgency to develop a medical marijuana industry. He pointed out that exploiting the benefits of marijuana is “not about smoking a spliff” or “walking around with two ounces of the weed.” This is about building an industry of value-added products,” the Minister emphasised. Mr. Shaw…
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Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week launched to raise awareness on preventing Zika
Eliminating mosquito breeding sites, avoiding mosquito bites, and protecting pregnant women from Zika virus are the key messages of the inaugural Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week, launched today by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the CARICOM Secretariat. With the slogan ‘Fight the bite, destroy mosquito breeding sites’, this first Mosquito Awareness Week, 9-15…
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CARPHA to host Health Research Conference on Family Health in Turks and Caicos in June
Child health, Zika, healthy ageing and HIV AIDS are among the family health issues that will be addressed at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Health Research Conference this year. The Conference, which will be held at Beaches Resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), has received the full support of the Turks and Caicos Government. At a media…
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Zika Virus confirmed as cause of rare microcephaly birth defect – CDC
The Zika virus has been confirmed to cause a rare birth defect called microcephaly and other severe problems of the brain, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials across the globe have suspected for months a link between the virus and the birth defect, characterized by an abnormally small head and…
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Caribbean Leaders to support bold recommendations to end AIDS epidemic at UN High Level meeting
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The new Governments in Jamaica and Haiti which together account for approximately 71 percent of People living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, have agreed to send high level representatives to the UN High Level Meeting (UN HLM) on HIV/AIDS on June 8-10, 2016 in New York. This was revealed during a joint mission held…
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Time to act against NCDs such as diabetes
In recognition of World health Day being observed today, Programme Manager, Health Sector Development at the CARICOM Secretariat , Dr. Rudolph Cummings, shared the following sentiments on diabetes and non-communicable diseases: Whilst the health gains of our Region have contributed significantly to increased life expectancy, these are now under severe threats from Non-Communicable Diseases. The recently completed study by the University…
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Diabetes: A Big Problem for Years to Come
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 7, 2016. Studies conducted by the University of the West Indies (UWI) estimate that 1 in every 4 adults in some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have diabetes. More worrying is the doubling of overweight and obesity in children less than five years, along with the high rates in adolescence, as obesity is one…
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Here’s what to do about diabetes – 4th leading cause of death in America
Think of 10 people close to you—family members, friends and coworkers. Chances are at least one is suffering from diabetes, though they might not know it. An estimated 10% of the population of the Americas—more than 62 million people—have diabetes, and more than half a million people die from it each year. That makes diabetes the fourth-leading cause of death…
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