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BRADES, Montserrat (GIU) — The Department of Statistics has released the official 2011 Census data, which shows that Montserrat’s population has grown by 10 percent since the previous census in 2001.
“On May 12, 2011, the usual resident population of Montserrat consisted of 4,922 persons, 51.7 percent of whom were male and 48.3 percent female. The total number of usual residents was 10.2 percent or 457 more persons than the 2001 Census. This suggests that the population who reside permanently on Montserrat, grew on average by 45 persons per year. The growth in 2011 contrasts the decline that was observed in the previous intercensal period 1991-2001, when the 2001 usual resident population was less than half of the 1991 count,” a statement from the department read.
”Where we usual residents found? Most of Montserrat’s usual residents, that is 4,843 persons, occupied private dwellings in May 2011. The remaining 79 persons were found in collective living quarters at the Homes for the Elderly and Her Majesty’s Prison. The population living in these collective housing units or ’non-private’ dwellings fell by more than 50 percent when compared to Census 2001.
”The usual resident population of Montserrat was centred in Look Out. Usual residents numbered more than 600 persons or 13.6 per cent of the population in the 2011 Census. The majority of residents living outside of Look Out were located in Brades/Shinnlands (9.1%) and St Peter’s (8.9%).
”What has changed since 2001 Census? As in the previous Census, the island was divided into 22 geographical areas called Enumeration Districts. The populations in 11 of the Enumeration Districts grew at rates above the national average (10.2%) between 2001 and 2011. Barzeys showed the strongest growth in its population (+297%), followed by St John’s/Mongo Hill (+86%). The populations of St John’s North, Brades/Shinnlands and Olveston remained relatively stable between Censuses. The populations in the other Enumeration Districts decreased, with strongest declines in Happy Hill (-62%) and Isles Bay (-54%). ”
Montserrat Census Shows 10 Percent Population Growth courtesy of Caribbeannewsnow.com
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Friday March 9, 2012 – Chronic kidney disease is on the rise in Barbados, resulting in the island’s lone general hospital spending $6.5 million annually on treatment.
Of that figure, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital spends $1.8 million per year to rent 23 dialysis machines for its Artificial Kidney Unit (AKU), and pays a further $300 per patient for the treatment of 24 patients at a private facility because the unit is too full.
Despite this, the numbers continue to rise with hypertension and diabetes still being identified as the main causes.
The number of patients requiring the services of the AKU has risen from three in 1979 to 200 in 2011, and is expected to double by 2020.
These were among statistics being revealed as countries around the world marked World Kidney Day yesterday under the theme Donate – Kidneys for Life – Receive.
Officials at the QEH are also reporting that the ages of patients requiring kidney treatment are getting younger.
The hospital is also reporting successes with its kidney transplants, with nine being conducted between 1991 and 1996, and the first laparoscopic one being done in February this year.
However, organisers of World Kidney Day are urging people to cut out the things they know are not healthy, pay attention to family history, exercise and eat in moderation.
They are advocating for people around the world to keep fit and active, maintain regular control of their blood sugar levels, monitor blood pressure, eat healthy and keep weight in check, maintain a healthy fluid intake, avoid smoking and taking over-the-counter pills.
Barbados Spending Millions On Kidney Treatment Courtesy of Caribbean360.com
HAVANA, Cuba, Wednesday March 7, 2012 – Long a pioneer in the field of medicine in the region, Cuba has now revealed that it will soon embark on testing a new AIDS vaccine on human subjects.
Speaking at a biotechnology conference in Havana this week, a leading Cuban researcher announced that Cuba’s top biotech teams have successfully tested a new AIDS vaccine on mice, and they were ready to soon begin human testing.
“The new AIDS trial vaccine already was tested successfully (on mice) and now we are preparing a very small, tightly controlled phase one clinical trial with HIV-positive patients who are not in the advanced stages of disease,” disclosed researcher Enrique Iglesias.
Iglesias, who heads up the vaccine development team at the Biotech and Genetic Engineering Center (CIGB) in Havana made the revelations as he was addressing the International Biotech Conference-Havana 2012, which started March 5 in Cuba’s capital.
He told the crowd at the conference that the vaccine TERAVAC-HIV-1 was made from recombinant proteins aiming “to cause a cellular response against the (HIV) virus.”
However, the Cuban expert was quick to downplay high hopes for a long-awaited successful AIDS vaccine.
“So far, there have been more than 100 clinical tests (on humans) with HIV” in Cuba and other countries, “and all of them have failed,” he stressed.
Cuba spends more than US$200 million a year on its AIDS prevention and care programs, including free care with antiretrovirals, some of them Cuban-made.
The CIGB, which groups about 20 research units in Havana, is the driver of the major export of Cuban biotech products including vaccines and other drugs.
The Caribbean country exports US$400 million a year in these products, making them its official number-two export after nickel.
Some 600 scientists from about 38 countries are participating in the biotech conference, including Nobel-winning US chemist Peter Agre, who is also a medical doctor and molecular biologist.
Cuba Begins Testing AIDS Vaccine Courtesy of Caribbean360.com
By Juan McCartney
Nassau Guardian Senior Reporter
NASSAU, Bahamas — An overview of the data collected by the Department of Statistics on births in The Bahamas over the last 40 years shows that women, domestic and foreign-born, are having far fewer children.
The data in the births report, collated from 1970 through 2010, show that with a population of about 170,000 in 1970, there were 4,894 live births recorded. Juxtapose those numbers against the 5,362 live births recorded among a population of more than 340,000 in 2010, and the downward shift is apparent.
The report also shows that the birth rate fell almost 50 percent, from 28.8 births per 1,000 persons to 15.8 births per 1,000 persons from 1970 through 2010.
The conclusion: Women between the ages of 15 and 49 were having an average of four children during the course of their lives in 1970. By 2010, women were only having an average of two children.
The data do not indicate why birth rates have dropped so dramatically, but a scrutiny of the numbers does uncover some interesting trends among particular groups of women.
Births by foreign women have dropped in the past four decades, from about 30 percent in 1970 to about 18 percent in 2010.
However, an unavoidable fact – as pointed out by The Nassau Guardian several days ago – is that the birth rate among Haitian women in The Bahamas has nearly doubled in the past 40 years.
“The number of births grew from 7.2 percent in 1970, to an average of 13.7 percent by 2010,” the report noted. “In contrast, births to women of Jamaican ethnicity declined by some 50 percent. For females from countries outside the Caribbean, the numbers of births plunged, especially since 2008 to (nearly zero) from 12.1 in 1970.” Read the rest of this entry »
Papaya Extract Kills Cancer Cells
Lab tests on papaya extract shows that it can kill tumor cells from cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreatic cancer. The tests, using extracts made from dried papaya leaves, showed that the anticancer effects were stronger when cells received larger doses of the tea.
The research, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, also demonstrated that papaya leaf extract helps regulate the immune system, potentially helping the body fight off cancers. And researcher Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D., at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, says the study results are so convincing he now eats a serving of papaya every day.
Courtesy of Easyhealthoptions.com via Paradise Wellness. Be sure to check out Chef Skai at Paradise Wellness and her wealth of information on creating a healthy and abundant life.
I’m not alone in having trouble sleeping. When stress levels are sky-high, technology has us on call 24/7 and working parents struggle to fit everything into their day, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t.
Unsurprisingly, 75 per cent of the workforce gets less than the recommended eight hours of sleep a night, according to a study by the Mental Health Foundation. Most of us will experience transient insomnia (a short bout of disturbed sleep lasting less than a week or two) at some point in our lives, caused by anything from stress, pregnancy or bereavement – or a chemical, such as excess alcohol. But when it becomes difficult to initiate or maintain sleep for two to four weeks, this is defined as acute insomnia.
‘How you behave in response to sleep determines your ability to sleep,’ says insomnia specialist Dr Guy Meadows. ‘Ask a normal sleeper what they do to sleep and they will say “nothing”. Ask an insomniac and they will give you a long list, including warm milk, hot baths and lavender on the pillow.’
Meadows, who thinks the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach to sleep problems isn’t working, is pioneering a new technique called acceptance and commitment therapy. ‘My approach to insomnia combines a sense of increased awareness, acceptance and a non- judgmental attitude,’ he says. ‘It’s about accepting then letting go of your insomnia in order to allow your brain’s natural ability to sleep to emerge by itself.’
Meadows runs a practice in Britain and has just launched Sleep School in the Caribbean (www.thesleepschool.org). My first thought was: ‘Why do I need to go halfway around the world to learn how to sleep?’ But when you add up the things we might do to relax and get a better night’s sleep – a massage, yoga and exercise classes, and possibly a sleep workshop – then factor in the cost of a week away, that cost soon adds up. Which is why the idea of Meadows’s Sleep School at a well-being retreat makes sense.
The Sleep School is run at the luxury holistic resort of La Source in Grenada – where it’s free to guests. The hotel’s philosophy is geared around wellbeing and relaxation, and guests can enjoy hourly activities and a free treatment each day.
‘What draws me to this type of holiday are the masterclasses,’ says Sally Lloyd, 35, a sales consultant from Maidenhead. ‘When I found out there was a Sleep School here it was a bonus as I suffer from transient insomnia.’
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Anthropologist Dr Kumar Mahabir will be launching his new book, Traditional Medicine and Women Healers in Trinidad, on Saturday evening at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The 212-page book discusses the relationship between traditional healers and modern healthcare practitioners in Trinidad and Tobago. It focuses on folk masseuses, and the new mothers and newborns they treat.
The study is divided into three major chapters:
Chapter 1 explores the demographics of masseuses, their training, activity levels, remuneration, relationship with others, and types of disorders they treat.
Chapter 2 examines the care of the new mother with respect to seclusion and pollution, special foods, “setting” the womb back in place, herbal baths, and the chatti [thanksgiving ceremony].
Chapter 3 highlights the care of the newborn with regard to breast milk, neonatal jaundice, dew and evil elements, thrush and heat rash, and infant massage.
The two medical systems are presented in the context of racial, ethnic, class and gender dynamics which give rise to issues of power and control.
Traditional Medicine and Women Healers in Trinidad is located in the political-economic context of the Third World, which has a history of dependency on foreign goods and services rooted in the plantation economy.
The book also discusses the implications of the study for contemporary primary health care.
Mahabir is an assistant professor in the Centre for Education Programmes at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). He obtained his Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Florida and is the author of eight books, including two national bestsellers Caribbean East Indian Recipes and Medicinal and Edible Plants used by East Indians of Trinidad and Tobago.
Courtesy of Caribbeannewsnow.com
Barbados Has Caribbean’s Highest Life Expectancy: United Nations Report. Barbados has the highest life expectancy in CARICOM, according to a report released by the United Nations Population Fund.
The report, “State of World Population 2012,” was sent out on the eve of the expected birth of the planet’s 7 billionth inhabitant.
Barbados had an average life expectancy of 77 years, with 74 years for males and 80 for females.
Next on the list were Belize and the Bahamas, followed by St Lucia, with 72 for males and 78 for females.
Outside of CARICOM, Martinique had an even higher rate, at 80.5 years.
Not included in the rankings were Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.
Courtesy of Caribjournal.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The British Virgin Islands was ranked as the #1 country for quality of life in theCaribbean and Central America in a recently released report by fDi Intelligence. In addition to this top accolade, the BVI was also named as #2 in best human resources, among the top five countries for GDP PPP, per capita, and among the top 10 “Caribbean & Central American Countries of the Future 2011/12.”
fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times of London, published this report based on data compiled by the division and scored by an independent judging panel. Judging criteria for the best quality of life category, which the BVI topped, was based on multiple factors including life expectancy, infant mortality, unemployment rate, GDP PPP per capita, crime, and secondary enrollment rate.
“We are pleased to receive this recognition and we look forward to sharing these wonderful attributes with visitors to the destination,” said Mr. Neil Blyden, Chairman of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board. “From our pristine beaches and exhilarating natural attractions to our friendly people, award-winning cuisine and outstanding accommodations, the BVI is a destination made for such superlatives.”
About The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board
The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board is a statutory organization of the Government of the Virgin Islands (UK) responsible for promoting the British Virgin Islands as a destination. The BVI Tourist Board invites everyone to experience the seduction of our pristine and exquisite home. For more information on all that BVI has to offer, visit www.bvitourism.com.
Courtesy of PR Newswire
Images courtesy of BVInews.com and bviguides.com
British Virgin Islands Named For Best Quality of Life In The Caribbean and Central America
BVI has highest standard of living in the Caribbean
British Virgin Islands Best Standard of Living In The West Indies
LA PAZ, Bolivia (South Journal) — Cuban doctors have performed over 600,000 eye surgeries in Bolivia over the past five years as part of the Operation Miracle free-eye-surgery program, according to Bolivian health authorities.
The work of Cuban doctors also improved or returned the sight to citizens from Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and Brazil, DPA news agency reported on Tuesday.
Over the past five years, Operation Miracle has benefitted 600,105 Bolivians, 48,255 Brazilians, 35,245 Argentineans, 22,280 Peruvians and 312 Paraguayans.
Bolivian health minister Nila Heredia stressed the work of Cuban, Venezuelan and Bolivian medical brigades, which are identifying 85 physically or mentally impaired persons in different Bolivian regions. “
The Solidarity medical mission named after Moto Mendez (a Bolivian hero from Tarija) has identified at least 20,000 mentally impaired persons, while others suffer from physical disabilities like deafness or blindness, said the minister.
The result of this work, which has taken place for the first time in Bolivia, suggests the creation of occupational, education and rehabilitation programs in the country, said Heredia and noted that the medical brigade is made up of different specialists who carried out diagnoses and further treatment of the patients.
Courtesy of Caribbean News Now
Cuban Doctors Performed 600,000 Eye Surgeries In Bolivia
Cuba Produces World’s First Lung Cancer Vaccine
HAVANA, Cuba (South Journal) — While the World Health Organization (WHO) is now reporting that tobacco consumption is killing over 5 million people annually, a figure that could reach 8 million by 2030, Cuba has announced its first therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer, one of the most frequent types of the disease at the world level and the one with highest prevalence among smokers.
Successful clinical tests have proven the effectiveness of this medication, which will be commercialized on the island under the trademark CIMAVAX-EGF, thanks to the research work of experts at the Havana-based Molecular Immunology Center, who are already considering the use of the principle of this medication to treat other oncological conditions.
The Cuban vaccine cannot prevent the disease, but considerably improves the state of patients with advanced cancer, said project head Gisela Gonzalez in statements to Trabajadores newspaper. The medication turns advanced cancer into a controllable chronic disease since it generates antibodies against proteins that cause uncontrolled cell proliferation, the specialist explained.
The World Health Organization pointed out that lung cancer is one of the most serious conditions and one of the types of cancers responsible over one million deaths annually at world level.
The people most affected by this conditions are adults over 50 years of age with smoking records or persons exposed to tobacco smoke — bearing in mind that 600 000 passive smokers die every year in the world – as well as smoke emissions from industry and transportation.
Courtesy of South Journal via the Caribbeannewsnow.com
Cuba Produces World’s First Lung Cancer Vaccine
Cuba registers world’s first lung cancer vaccine
Happy Independence Day Trinidad as you celebrate 49 years of Independence!
Trinidad Celebrates 49 Years Of Independence.
Finding Hope On The Soccer Fields Of Haiti – CNN Heroes – Patrice Millet
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — Five years ago, Patrice Millet learned he was in the advanced stages of a rare bone cancer. A stem cell transplant was his only hope for survival.
The businessman from Haiti underwent the procedure in the United States. After nine months of treatment and recovery, his cancer was in remission. Millet returned home in May 2007 determined to start living the life he’d always wanted: helping children from Haiti’s poorest slums have a brighter future.
“Every day you see so many kids in need — so many bad stories, tragic stories,” said Millet, 49. “All my life, I wanted to do something good for my country, for the kids. (So) I said, ‘This is the time. I have nothing to lose.’ “
That summer, Millet sold his construction supply business and started a program called FONDAPS, which stands for Foundation Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours (Foundation of Our Lady of Perpetual Help). The program uses soccer to help children stay out of trouble and learn valuable life skills. Millet calls it “education by sport.”
“I want the kids to be very good citizens,” he said. “In soccer … you need to give, you need to receive, you need team spirit, discipline, sportsmanship. … It’s not all about soccer, it’s about life.”
Millet started by focusing his efforts on children from Solino, one of Port-au-Prince’s most dangerous slums. But going into the neighborhood to recruit young participants was risky.
“My wife didn’t want me to go. She said gangs (would) kill me.” But Millet was undeterred.
“I said, ‘I’d rather die doing something good than die in bed.’ “
While Millet was first greeted with suspicion, he was eventually accepted by the locals and children flocked to join his program. Today, hundreds of children have benefited from FONDAPS.
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada — St George’s University and the government of Grenada have signed an agreement that establishes a teaching hospital on the island. The project, which has been in development for some time, speaks to the 35-year relationship the university has with the government.
“This agreement further cements St George’s University’s commitment to help in the development of a quality health education program to the Caribbean for students from Commonwealth nations and from around the world,” says Charles Modica, St George’s University chancellor.
“By adding to the elective and intern program already in place and establishing this full teaching program that operated by the University, we are able to provide a quality graduate and post graduate program in Grenada. Our students will be able to perform clinical rotations in Grenada, in addition to the clinical rotations available at many top affiliated hospital and clinical centers in the US and UK. Our students have the opportunity to experience yet one more system of healthcare delivery in a hospital setting while at the same time providing Grenada with an influx of much-needed healthcare practitioners to local healthcare facilities,” he explained.
The government also recognizes the significance of this agreement as demonstrated by a statement earlier this year when discussions were being held.
Finance Minister Nazim Burke said, “…the establishment of a teaching hospital in Grenada would help to raise the standard and quality of healthcare for citizens at home, citizens abroad desirous of returning home to retire, as well as our visitors.”
Undoubtedly, the development of a graduate and post graduate teaching program at the General Hospital is a significant investment by the university and will contribute to an improved standard and quality of healthcare available on the island. The university has, for over 35 years developed an extensive scholarship program for the educational benefit of citizens of Grenada and other Commonwealth countries. The formation of the clinical teaching program will be of great benefit to the island and the region as well.
Courtesy of Caribbean News Now
University Establishes Teaching Hospital In Grenada
Contaminated papaya appears to be the cause of an outbreak of Salmonella in 23 states the Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers. The FDA says papayas imported from Mexico and distributed by Agromod Produce Inc. of McAllen, Texas, is likely the source of 97 cases of Salmonella agona. To date 10 people have been hospitalized but there have been no reported deaths. As a result, Agromod Produce has voluntarily recalled all papaya sold before July 23.
The cases were reported between January 1 and July 18 in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio. Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. While ages ranged from 1 year to 91 years old, the average age of those stricken is 20. More than half of the cases are women. Texas had the most cases with 25 people falling ill.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Salmonella agona is one of about 2,000 strains of salmonella. Symptoms usually show up 12 to 72 hours after infection and can last up to seven days. Approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported each year in the U.S.
The FDA is telling consumers to check for the Agromod brand stickers on fresh papayas before buying the fruit. Consumers and retailers who already have Agromod brand papayas should throw them out in a sealed container so that even animals can’t eat them. Investigators say anyone who believes they got sick from eating papaya should see their doctor.
The papayas could have been distributed nationwide in the U.S. and Canada. The FDA and CDC are working together with public health officials at the state level to identify additional cases. In a press release the agency said “the FDA is taking regulatory action to prevent potentially contaminated papaya from entering the United States, including increasing its sampling of imported papaya.”
Courtesy of CNN.com
23-State Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Papaya
GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr Denzil Douglas, prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis, has called for an immediate halt to the transit of radioactive material through the Caribbean Sea; a practice he said is “unacceptable and injurious.”
In a statement condemning the practice, Douglas said that it has become intolerable to the governments and people of the Caribbean, as it compromises its rich but fragile ecosystem, and puts at risk “the very existence of the people of the region”
The call to halt the transit of the waste through the Caribbean Sea has come in the wake of a new shipment of Vitrified High Level Waste that will leave the United Kingdom, this week, for Japan through the Caribbean.
Douglas said that CARICOM remains immutable in its opposition to the passage of shipments of such material through the Caribbean Sea, which is recognised by the United Nations as a special area in the context of sustainable development.
Courtesy of Caribbean News Now
CARICOM Demands Halt To Passage Of Hazardous Waste Through Caribbean Sea
Yes we are a little late with this, but for those that don’t know Rihanna was recently named the new face of Vita Coco. We saw a report on the company a few months ago on Bloomberg television and it is now everywhere we turn. According to Vita Coco, their sales are out pacing orange juice sales.
Vita Coco, the nation’s best-selling coconut water and one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in the u.s., today announced that rihanna will be featured in the company’ sensational advertising campaign launching this summer.
Rihanna joins Vita Coco’s rock-star list of brand loyalists, including Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, both of whom are investors in Vita Coco and consider it their all-natural, super-hydrating drink of choice.
“Rihanna is a natural fit for the Vita Coco brand and I’m so happy to have her on the team” says Madonna.
With summer’s hottest days right around the corner, consumers are following Rihanna and Madonna’s lead in choose Vita Coco as their all-natural source of hydration. vita Coco, which is never from concentrate and contains the five essential electrolytes, 15 times the potassium of a tradional sports drink, and 100 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C, delivers super-hydration functionality with every sip.
Rihanna New Face Of Vita Coco
