Carib Scope

分类： health

  • Praten over suïcidaliteit kan verschil maken

    Praten over suïcidaliteit kan verschil maken

    On September 10, marked globally as World Suicide Prevention Day, Suriname’s Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Labor (VWA) has launched a public appeal urging communities across the country to stop ignoring warning signs of severe mental distress, suicidal hopelessness and suicidal ideation, and to prioritize open, non-judgmental dialogue around these critical public health issues.

    Aligning with the international 2024-2026 World Suicide Prevention Day campaign theme Changing the Narrative on Suicide, which centers on the call to “Start the Conversation”, VWA has adopted the complementary national slogan: “You are not alone – start the conversation”. The ministry emphasizes that no one grappling with overwhelming mental pressure, persistent despair or suicidal thoughts should have to carry their burden in isolation.

    Public health experts note that suicidal risk rarely stems from a single cause, instead often developing after a cumulative build-up of challenging life circumstances. These can include long-term unmanaged chronic stress, the grief of losing a loved one, prolonged social isolation, relationship conflict, financial instability, past or ongoing traumatic experiences, and underlying chronic mental or physical health conditions.
    Against this backdrop, VWA stresses that open conversations about mental health and suicide must not be avoided or stigmatized. Contrary to common misconceptions that suicide prevention requires large-scale, institutional interventions, the ministry notes that effective prevention often begins in everyday community spaces: within family units, school campuses, workplaces and local neighborhoods. By listening to at-risk individuals without judgment and normalizing discussions of mental distress, community members can identify warning signs earlier and connect people to professional support far faster.

    A core resource available to Surinamese residents in crisis is the national Crisis Hotline 114, which was officially relaunched on June 5 this year. The free, confidential hotline is staffed exclusively by specially trained counselors, and is designed to support people experiencing acute psychological or social emergency. Counselors provide immediate emotional support and guidance, and can refer callers to ongoing specialized care when needed. According to early internal data from VWA, the hotline has seen strong, consistent usage since its relaunch, though the ministry has not yet released specific figures on the total number of calls received.

    The hotline was developed through a collaborative partnership between VWA, the Psychiatric Center Suriname, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the Rotary Club of Paramaribo Central, and multiple other local and international stakeholders. Moving forward, VWA plans to strengthen the hotline’s service delivery and referral systems, with a key goal of eliminating gaps that leave vulnerable people falling through the cracks between different public service agencies.

    Beyond expanding the hotline, the ministry is currently developing a national Integrated Welfare Plan, which will roll out expanded welfare and mental health services at the local ressort and district levels. The plan hinges on building interconnected local support networks that bring together neighborhood organizations, community clinics, local police outposts, welfare workers, schools, faith-based groups and a wide range of other civil society organizations.

    Through these localized networks, VWA aims to detect emerging social and mental health challenges at an earlier stage, and ensure that people can access the right support without unnecessary delay. Raising public awareness of suicide prevention will be a core pillar of this local level work. On this World Suicide Prevention Day, VWA also paid tribute to those who have lost their lives to suicide and offered support to their surviving loved ones.

    The ministry notes that existing official data from the Suriname Police Corps, including preliminary 2026 figures, confirms that sustained investment in prevention, early detection and ongoing support remains an urgent public health priority. No specific numerical data was included in the ministry’s official statement, however. For anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, or for people who are concerned about a loved one at risk, VWA urges immediate action rather than delay. In the event of a mental health crisis or immediate risk, the Crisis Hotline 114 is available 24/7 for support. The ministry stresses that no one needs to “prove” how severe their situation is to access help – any person in distress is welcome to reach out.

  • GHTA free PSA screening programme for 100 Men

    GHTA free PSA screening programme for 100 Men

    For men across Grenada, particularly those working in the key tourism and hospitality sector, a valuable free health opportunity is coming next September, as the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA) confirms the return of its popular no-cost Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening initiative. Aligned with global Prostate Cancer Awareness Month observances, the programme underscores GHTA’s long-standing commitment to prioritizing the physical and mental wellbeing of the community that powers Grenada’s top tourism industry.

    Running from September 1 to 30, 2026, the screening initiative is made possible through funding from GHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), with on-the-ground delivery in partnership with local Allied Medical Laboratory. The programme will reserve 100 free screening slots for eligible men aged 40 and older, with services available at any Allied Medical Laboratory clinic location across the country.

    Unlike many private health screenings that come with out-of-pocket costs, this initiative removes financial barriers to early prostate cancer detection, a critical step in improving long-term health outcomes for at-risk men. Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer affecting men globally, and routine PSA screening allows clinicians to catch abnormal changes early, when interventions are most effective. For GHTA, expanding accessible health services to tourism workers – the backbone of Grenada’s economy – is core to the organization’s mission of building a resilient, sustainable tourism sector.

    “The strength of our tourism industry is rooted in the people who work tirelessly to serve our visitors and represent Grenada to the world,” said GHTA Chief Executive Officer Arlene Friday. “Supporting their wellbeing is therefore an important part of building a strong and sustainable tourism sector. Through our Tourism Enhancement Fund, we are pleased to continue providing initiatives that extend beyond the traditional boundaries of tourism work and create meaningful benefits for our members and the wider Grenadian community.”

    Friday emphasized that eligible men, especially those employed across Grenada’s hotels, resorts, restaurants, and tourism support services, should prioritize pre-registering as soon as possible to secure their spot. Slots are limited exclusively to the first 100 eligible applicants, and no walk-in appointments will be accommodated due to the limited allocation of free tests.

    To qualify for the free screening, applicants must be men aged 40 or older, complete pre-registration via the official form linked by GHTA, and attend their appointment at an Allied Medical Laboratory clinic during the September 2026 programme window. All screening costs are covered fully by TEF, with no hidden fees for qualifying participants.

    GHTA closed its announcement by extending formal gratitude to both its community partner Allied Medical Laboratory and the Tourism Enhancement Fund. Without their combined support, the organization noted, this critical public health initiative would not be possible, reinforcing the impact of cross-sector collaboration to support worker wellbeing in Grenada’s most economically vital industry.

  • Phase Two of PM’s Vision Initiative Begins at Five Islands Primary School

    Phase Two of PM’s Vision Initiative Begins at Five Islands Primary School

    A government-supported public health initiative aimed at catching undiagnosed vision impairments in young students has launched its second phase of operations, opening with a full round of free screenings at Five Islands Primary School. Known as the Prime Minister’s Vision Initiative, this program operates in close collaboration with the Trinidad Eye Hospital, bringing specialized, professional eye care services directly to student populations across the country as the new phase of outreach gets underway. Unlike general public health programs, this initiative centers on early detection of vision issues — a priority that public health officials say is critical, because unaddressed vision impairments often create significant barriers to children’s learning. Left untreated, common undiagnosed problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism can limit a child’s capacity to read text on classroom whiteboards, follow written assignments, and engage fully with peers during interactive learning activities. Over the coming weeks and months of Phase Two, the initiative’s mobile screening teams will travel to a growing number of schools across the region, expanding their reach to serve more students and reinforce the link between children’s long-term eye health and their sustained academic success. Organizers note that expanding access to early screenings fills a critical gap in local pediatric health care, ensuring that even students from families that lack access to regular specialized eye care get the support they need to thrive in school.

  • Grenada strengthens national preparedness for future respiratory pathogen pandemics

    Grenada strengthens national preparedness for future respiratory pathogen pandemics

    Against a global backdrop of ongoing lessons from recent global health crises, the Caribbean nation of Grenada has made meaningful progress in shoring up its defenses against future respiratory pathogen pandemics, following a 2.5-day national stakeholder workshop focused on validating and upgrading the country’s official pandemic preparedness and response framework.

    Organized jointly by Grenada’s Ministry of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the interactive workshop delivered a prioritized roadmap of targeted updates to ensure the national plan aligns with modern local legislative structures, current staffing rosters, formal institutional responsibilities, and on-the-ground operational realities. The entire initiative is backed by the Pandemic Fund Project for Eastern Caribbean Countries, a regional effort designed to boost pandemic readiness across smaller island nations.

    Grenada’s National Respiratory Pathogen Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan outlines a whole-of-society approach to preventing, detecting, and managing outbreaks of contagious respiratory diseases that could rise to pandemic levels. Its scope spans core functional areas: governance and legal authority for emergency responses, phased pandemic alert level systems, disease surveillance frameworks, community protection protocols and public risk communication, standardized clinical management of patients, infection prevention and control protocols, access to and distribution of medical countermeasures, sustained emergency financing, and cross-agency national coordination. Critically, the plan is built to bring Grenada’s national practices in line with the 2005 International Health Regulations and embed a cross-sector One Health approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health systems.

    The workshop drew 27 cross-sector participants representing a broad range of agencies that would play critical roles in any pandemic response. Attendees included stakeholders from multiple divisions of the Ministry of Health – the Epidemiology Unit, Grenada General Hospital, Central Medical Stores, and national mental health services – alongside representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, Ministry of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Social Development, Government Information Service, National Disaster Management Agency, St. George’s University, and the Windward Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF).

    Working in small collaborative working groups, participants ran a tabletop simulation to test core provisions of the existing plan against a hypothetical respiratory pathogen outbreak scenario. Each provision was coded with a color rating: green for policies that are up-to-date and functional, amber for provisions that required targeted amendments, and red for gaps where the capacity or mechanism outlined in the plan does not yet exist in practice.

    The comprehensive review confirmed that the overall structure of Grenada’s existing national plan remains robust and fit for purpose. At the same time, the process identified a clear set of gaps and areas that require updating to reflect the country’s current domestic context, from revised national legislation to shifting staffing arrangements.

    On the final day of the workshop, participants ranked all proposed amendments by urgency and importance, creating a formal prioritized action register that assigns clear responsible parties and target completion timeframes for every required update. This document provides the Ministry of Health with a clear, sequenced, time-bound roadmap to guide the revision and eventual implementation of the updated plan.

    Top priority actions include revisions to the national legal and policy framework governing pandemic responses; clarification of formal activation authority and cross-agency decision-making responsibilities; formal documentation of laboratory and clinical care surge capacity arrangements; strengthening national infection prevention and control protocols; establishing realistic, actionable schedules for early-warning reporting and regular preparedness simulation exercises; and maintaining up-to-date emergency contact information that accounts for regular staffing turnover.

    A flagship One Health priority identified through the review is the creation of a formal written standard operating procedure (SOP) for information sharing between the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer and the national Epidemiology Unit. While informal collaboration between animal and human health sectors already occurs when needed during ongoing events, no formal written protocol currently exists to govern how potential pandemic signals detected in animal populations are communicated to human health authorities, nor does it outline required response timeframes for these alerts. The new SOP will be co-developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, St. George’s University, and WINDREF to fill this critical gap.

    Grenada’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shawn Charles, emphasized that sustained pandemic preparedness remains a critical public health priority even when no immediate threat is on the horizon. “Pandemic preparedness is not something a country can assemble once a threat has arrived. It has to be built, tested and maintained in the quiet periods,” Dr. Charles explained during the workshop. “What this workshop has done is put every section of our plan in front of the people who would have to act on it and ask them plainly whether it would work. A plan that sits on a shelf protects no one. A plan that our officers have interrogated, corrected and can act on is what protects Grenadians.”

    Moving forward, the prioritized action register will guide the full revision of the National Respiratory Pathogen Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan, with the Ministry of Health leading coordination and collecting input from all responsible agencies identified during the workshop. The Grenada workshop is one component of the broader Pandemic Fund Project for Eastern Caribbean Countries, which supports participating regional nations in building long-term capacity for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, per PAHO/WHO.

    This content is sourced from PAHO/WHO reporting, with NOW Grenada not taking responsibility for contributor-provided content,

  • QEH partners with med schools to boost research, digital health

    QEH partners with med schools to boost research, digital health

    A transformative new collaborative agreement between Barbados’ flagship public healthcare facility, Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), and three higher education institutions from the Caribbean and South Asia is set to expand access to advanced digital health tools, elevate clinical research training, and revolutionize medical education across the region, institutional leaders confirmed this week. The memorandum of understanding was formalized Tuesday, bringing together the public University of the West Indies (UWI), Barbados-based private medical school the American University of Barbados (AUB), and Era University, a private medical educator based in Lucknow, the capital of India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state.

  • Van malariavrij naar zorg in nood: wat gebeurt er met het binnenland?

    Van malariavrij naar zorg in nood: wat gebeurt er met het binnenland?

    When Suriname’s current ruling coalition took power after the 2025 general elections, it won a clear and undeniable political mandate from voters in the country’s interior districts. Over 17,000 votes were cast for the coalition partners — the National Democratic Party (NDP), ABOP, NPS, PL, BEP and A20 — across Brokopondo and Sipaliwini alone, with the leading NDP securing more than 7,700 votes across the two regions. This popular support, however, comes with equally clear political responsibility, and that responsibility is now being put to the test by a alarming crisis in the country’s most critical rural healthcare provider.

    Medische Zending, the organization that forms the backbone of primary healthcare for Suriname’s interior communities, has issued an urgent warning that its financial position has deteriorated to a critical level. Key operational funding has dried up, outstanding debts continue to mount, medical transportation services are on the brink of collapse, drug supplies are increasingly insecure, and dozens of outpatient clinics across the region are grappling with unresolved, dangerous maintenance backlogs. This is not a marginal, little-known community group: it delivers core primary care services that would otherwise be unavailable to tens of thousands of people, including maternal and child health services, routine vaccination programs, pharmaceutical care, emergency response, and disease surveillance across remote, hard-to-reach areas.

    What makes this crisis particularly stark is that it is unfolding under the watch of the very ruling party that now holds power, rather than a previous opposition-led administration. The contrast between the high of mid-2025 and today’s crisis could not be more dramatic. On 30 June 2025, the World Health Organization officially certified Suriname as malaria-free, making it the first country in the entire Amazon region to achieve this landmark public health victory. At the time, the WHO itself emphasized that reaching this status depended entirely on consistent, quality care reaching even the most isolated interior communities.

    As the former Minister of Health who led the country through that certification process, I stressed then a point that is far more urgent today than it was even six months ago: earning malaria-free status is one achievement, but maintaining it is an unending, non-negotiable responsibility. The WHO itself repeatedly underscored this need for constant vigilance. That historic win was not the work of a single politician or a single administration; it was the product of decades of tireless work from frontline healthcare workers, the National Malaria Program, Medische Zending, interior communities, and global public health partners. Since the 1970s, Medische Zending has been at the center of the country’s malaria elimination efforts, reaching remote communities that no other healthcare provider could serve.

    That is where the bitter political irony of today’s crisis lies. The very rural healthcare networks that made it possible to drive down malaria cases and earn Suriname international acclaim are now fighting to stay financially afloat. Eliminating malaria was a tremendous public health achievement; keeping it eliminated is the current government’s core responsibility. A WHO certification is not an end point. Holding that status requires constant disease surveillance, rapid detection of any new cases, and the ability to respond immediately to new outbreaks. This is especially critical for Suriname, which shares borders with countries where malaria remains endemic, and has high population mobility across remote gold mining regions that create constant risk of reintroduction.

    This leaves current Health Minister André Misiekaba, Chair of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Public Health Silvana Afonsoewa, and former opposition critic Jennifer Vreedzaam, who repeatedly issued public critiques of health policy between 2020 and 2025, with unavoidable questions. How do you plan to defend Suriname’s malaria-free status if you allow the interior’s healthcare system to be hollowed out by chronic underfunding? How will you reverse falling vaccination coverage when that directly increases the risk of deadly childhood disease outbreaks across remote communities? How can you guarantee the continued operation of critical medical outposts when frontline workers cannot even travel safely to their posts and are forced to work in dangerous, substandard conditions?

    Between 2024 and 2025, the previous administration made concrete progress to shore up interior healthcare: we secured a full year of medical supplies and equipment, and invested in expanding outpatient care infrastructure including the new Soekoenale clinic that just opened its doors. That progress should have been continued and scaled up by the new government. For years, the current ruling party, then in opposition, freely criticized the previous Santokhi administration and former health leaders. Today, the tables have turned. The NDP leads the government, Misiekaba holds the health ministry portfolio, and Afonsoewa leads the parliamentary health committee. There is no longer any room to blame the previous administration for ongoing failures.

    Interior voters gave this coalition their trust and their votes. Now they are entitled to demand tangible results — not empty speeches, not political excuses, not endless blame shifting to the past. The government must act immediately to secure the funding Medische Zending needs to continue operating, protect the interior’s fragile healthcare system, and safeguard the historic malaria-free status Suriname fought for decades to achieve.

    It would be a tragic, bitter irony if Suriname first made global public health history by eliminating malaria, only to lose that status through administrative neglect that weakens the very care systems that made the achievement possible in the first place. The interior turned out and gave this government its mandate. Now it is time for the government to show that vote was worth something. The coalition campaigned on a promise of change. That promise was clear. The people of the interior deserve to see that promise kept for their healthcare.

  • Guyana assumes temporary presidency of Amazon health commission

    Guyana assumes temporary presidency of Amazon health commission

    BRASILIA, Sept. 8, 2026 — In a virtual gathering of senior health and regional governance officials from across the Amazon basin, Guyana has formally assumed the pro tempore presidency of the Special Commission on Health in the Amazon (CESAM), taking over the rotational leadership role from Ecuador to steer the body’s next phase of collaborative work tackling shared public health challenges across the region.

    The leadership handover concluded the 8th extraordinary meeting of CESAM, an event organized under the framework of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), which brought together official representatives from all ACTO member states to review outgoing Ecuador’s achievements and lay out priorities for the incoming tenure.

    In his first address after assuming the presidency, Guyana’s Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony extended formal gratitude to Ecuador for its foundational work over the past term, underscoring that interconnected health threats facing Amazonian nations can only be addressed through coordinated cross-border collaboration, open exchange of evidence and experiences, and strategic leveraging of existing regional capacities.

    Dr. Anthony outlined that the top immediate priority for Guyana’s leadership will be to fully operationalize CESAM’s three newly established permanent sub-commissions, securing active participation from all member countries to advance their respective work agendas. The three sub-bodies focus on distinct critical priority areas: Digital Health, Environment and Gender Equity; Priority and Emerging Diseases; and Intercultural Health and Traditional Medicine.

    Building on existing regional progress, Dr. Anthony highlighted Suriname’s successful experience eliminating malaria as a replicable model for cross-border partnership, noting that Guyana will prioritize expanding coordinated efforts to curb and ultimately eliminate the disease across the Amazon. Beyond advancing the existing CESAM work plan, Guyana also intends to develop and present new targeted initiatives for member state consideration during its tenure.

    A key agenda item during the extraordinary meeting was the ongoing development of a dedicated health module for the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO), a regional data infrastructure designed to support evidence-based health decision-making across member states. Attendees approved a formal roadmap for the project, which tasks CESAM with defining clear criteria and protocols for secure cross-border health information sharing and access, while requiring individual member states to appoint technical focal points to drive implementation forward.

    In a move to accelerate progress, Guyana has proposed holding an in-person CESAM meeting on the sidelines of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Directing Council session scheduled for late September, creating a timely opportunity to advance discussions on the work plan and next steps for the commission.

    In addition to Dr. Anthony, the meeting included participation from senior Ecuadorian health officials led by María José Mena, Undersecretary for Health Surveillance, Prevention and Control at Ecuador’s Ministry of Public Health, as well as Edith Paredes, Administrative Director of the ACTO Permanent Secretariat.

    The session opened with a comprehensive review of Ecuador’s outgoing pro tempore presidency, which delivered a series of landmark institutional milestones. Under Ecuador’s leadership, CESAM completed the reactivation and consolidation of the commission’s institutional structure, approved a full organizational work plan, and formally established the three permanent sub-commissions that Guyana will now bring into full operation. Additional achievements included advancing negotiations on a regional Strategic Plan for Comprehensive Health in the Amazon, accelerating coordinated action to address communicable diseases particularly malaria elimination, and developing the initial proposal for the ARO health module to strengthen regional health data governance.

    Paredes commended Ecuador’s transformative work during its tenure, emphasizing that continuity of commitment to the regional health agenda is critical to delivering tangible outcomes for Amazonian communities. She noted that the unique geographic and epidemiological context of the Amazon — marked by vast remote distances, limited access to health services, climate change impacts, growing risks from emerging and re-emerging diseases, and the distinct health needs of Indigenous Peoples and traditional local communities — demands unified, coordinated action from all member nations rather than isolated national efforts.

    Paredes added that Guyana inherits a fully functional CESAM with a solid institutional foundation built over the previous tenure, providing a strong platform for further progress. The core challenge moving forward, she noted, will be to preserve the momentum gained over recent years, deepen the work of the newly established sub-commissions, and translate institutional progress into concrete health improvements for the populations living across the Amazon region.

  • Stroke numbers prompt call for Barbadians to focus on prevention

    Stroke numbers prompt call for Barbadians to focus on prevention

    Marking World Physiotherapy Day celebrations across Barbados on Tuesday, a leading healthcare professional from the island’s primary public hospital has sounded the alarm on a startling local stroke crisis, revealing at least two cases of stroke are recorded every single day in the small Caribbean nation.

    Dr. Stacey Boyce, Acting Chief Physiotherapist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), made the revelation during the hospital’s annual Open Day event, where this year’s global observance centered on cardiovascular disease management, stroke prevention and treatment, and the critical role of physiotherapists in supporting stroke patients. “Strokes happen at least twice a day in Barbados, and that’s an alarming number,” Boyce emphasized, framing the day’s public outreach around a core message: proactive prevention remains the most effective tool against the life-altering condition.

    Beyond prevention, Boyce sought to reassure the public that a stroke diagnosis does not mean a permanent loss of independence. She explained that targeted physiotherapy and consistent physical activity can help patients regain functional ability and maintain autonomy after an event, even when outcomes do not deliver a full return to pre-stroke health.

    Stroke rehabilitation is far more time-intensive than recovery from common musculoskeletal injuries, Boyce noted. While a biceps injury typically heals within six weeks, stroke recovery can take 12 months or longer, and patients with moderate to severe disability often face a years-long journey to regain function. “Strokes are one of those difficult conditions to manage,” she explained. “Persons can get strokes where they have mild disability, but there are also several people who have moderate to severe disability. That is very difficult to rehabilitate, and having a stroke can take a long time to rehabilitate.” Even when full recovery is not possible, she added, physiotherapy intervention helps patients achieve enough independent function to substantially improve their quality of life, with many patients successfully returning to work and daily routines after treatment.

    As part of prevention guidance, Boyce highlighted uncontrolled high blood pressure as one of the leading modifiable risk factors for stroke, urging all Barbadians to know their blood pressure numbers. Because hypertension rarely presents obvious symptoms in its early stages, many people live with the condition undiagnosed, putting them at unknowingly high risk of a stroke. “If you don’t know that you’re hypertensive, you can have a stroke,” she warned.

    She also encouraged the public to learn the varied warning signs of stroke, stressing that symptoms are not uniform across all patients. Common red flags include facial drooping, slurred speech, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, impaired balance, and sudden severe headache. Boyce emphasized that time is a critical factor in stroke care, so anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek emergency hospital care immediately rather than dismissing them as a temporary issue.

    To reduce stroke risk long-term, Boyce urged Barbadians of all ages to prioritize consistent physical activity, noting that the heart, like all other muscles in the human body, requires regular movement to stay strong. “Stay active across their lifespan from childhood into adulthood,” she said. “We want to encourage activity. We want to encourage movement.” For people with busy desk-bound schedules, she offered accessible solutions: a compact stationary pedal bike that fits under a work desk, five-minute sessions of arm punches, and purposeful brisk walking all offer effective heart-healthy movement. “Whether it’s running, walking, cycling, dancing – pick whichever one works for you, but the important thing is to get moving in order to stay healthy,” Boyce added.

    Beyond stroke-specific care, Boyce outlined the broad scope of modern physiotherapy, noting the specialty supports patients from newborn infants to elderly adults, managing conditions ranging from sports injuries and musculoskeletal pain to neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, vertigo, and recovery after amputation.

    To continue the public health outreach tied to World Physiotherapy Day, the Barbados Physical Therapy Association is scheduled to host an inclusive 3K/5K walk/run on September 13. The event is designed to welcome participants of all ability levels, including runners, walkers, and people using wheelchairs, scooters, and motorized chairs, with Boyce encouraging broad public participation.

  • Barbados urged to maintain vigilance against animal, foodborne diseases

    Barbados urged to maintain vigilance against animal, foodborne diseases

    Against a backdrop of increasing transboundary disease spread, Barbados’ top veterinary authority has issued a urgent call for the island nation to uphold robust monitoring, diagnostic testing, and biosecurity frameworks to safeguard both national food security and public health from invasive animal and foodborne pathogens. In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Mark Trotman emphasized that the current absence of local outbreaks does not equate to the elimination of underlying risks, stressing that multiple dangerous diseases remain persistent, latent threats to the entire Caribbean region.

    Foremost among these threats is African swine fever, a highly contagious and deadly viral disease that affects domestic and wild swine. Trotman noted that the virus has never been fully eradicated from the Caribbean since it was first detected in the Dominican Republic nearly a decade ago. “It remains entrenched in the region, retains full virulence, and spreads extremely easily between populations,” he explained. “We cannot afford to lower our guard against this hazard at any point.”

    Trotman’s warning came during a regional workshop focused on rapid response protocols for African swine fever, held Tuesday at the Hilton Barbados Resort. The training event was coordinated by Barbados’ Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with leading regional and international agricultural bodies including the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and drew public health and veterinary professionals from across the Caribbean basin.

    Beyond African swine fever, Trotman named highly pathogenic avian influenza, more widely known as bird flu, as another ongoing, high-stakes threat. The disease has shifted from being primarily spread through international livestock trade to being carried by migratory wild birds, which pass through the Caribbean’s migratory corridors every single year as part of their seasonal travel routes. “This seasonal migration pattern creates a permanent risk that the virus will be introduced into Barbados’ domestic bird and poultry populations at any time,” Trotman said.

    Two additional transboundary animal diseases—foot-and-mouth disease, which affects cloven-hoofed livestock, and screwworm disease, a parasitic infection that targets warm-blooded animals—also top the island’s watchlist. Trotman described the steady spread of screwworm through South America, Central America, and into parts of the southern United States as “deeply alarming” and a reminder of how quickly animal diseases can expand their geographic range.

    Recent events in the United States further underscore the urgency of sustained preparedness, Trotman argued. Over the past 12 months, the U.S. has faced a string of widespread foodborne disease outbreaks linked to common pathogens including Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter. These outbreaks have been traced to a wide range of food products, from leafy greens and fresh berries to raw milk cheeses, pre-packaged ready-to-eat pasta salads, and undercooked poultry. Several of these outbreaks have spread across multiple U.S. states, prompting nationwide product recalls and widespread public health alerts.

    These incidents highlight a common public misconception, Trotman noted: many people fail to recognize that all food, particularly food of animal origin, carries inherent baseline risks that require active management. “A robust, continuously operating surveillance and testing system is non-negotiable to keep these risks under control,” he said.

    However, Trotman also warned that maintaining these critical protective systems faces consistent challenges, most notably resource constraints. “It’s all too common for vigilance to slip when there are no active outbreaks,” he explained. “Budgets get cut, staffing levels are reduced, and workforce gaps go unfilled. These incremental weaknesses can erode biosecurity infrastructure over time, creating openings for pathogens to take hold and spark an outbreak.”

    Even the most well-designed surveillance systems are not 100 percent foolproof, Trotman acknowledged, and outbreaks can still occur even with strong protections. But he stressed that the island nation’s single greatest defense against transboundary disease threats is sustained, unbroken vigilance, even when no local outbreaks are occurring. “We have to consistently maintain our biosecurity and monitoring mechanisms, even when it looks like there is no immediate danger. The threat is always present, lurking below the surface,” he said. “We can never afford to stop being alert.”

    In closing, Trotman emphasized that as global travel and trade continue to create pathways for diseases to cross international borders, failures in biosecurity and regulatory oversight can carry severe, long-lasting consequences for food systems and public health. “Outbreaks almost always trace back to a break in the biosecurity or regulatory controls we have in place. The threat is constant, so our preparedness must be constant too.”

  • World Duchenne Awareness Day: ‘Access changes lives’

    World Duchenne Awareness Day: ‘Access changes lives’

    Around the world, an estimated 300,000 people currently live with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a devastating rare genetic disorder that impacts one in every 5,000 newborn boys globally. For generations, a diagnosis of DMD carried a grim prognosis: most patients did not survive past their late teens or early 20s. Today, advances in clinical care have transformed that outlook, pushing average life expectancy well into the late 20s and early 30s, with many patients now living into their 40s thanks to improved care standards.

    DMD is a progressive muscle-wasting condition caused by a genetic mutation on the X chromosome that disrupts production of dystrophin, a critical protein that protects and maintains muscle tissue. Because the mutation is carried on the X chromosome, it overwhelmingly affects males, who only inherit one copy of the chromosome. The first signs of DMD typically emerge in early childhood, when parents notice developmental delays related to muscle strength. As the condition progresses, muscle weakness spreads throughout the body: patients first lose the ability to walk independently, then experience declining control of other motor functions, and eventually face impaired heart and respiratory function, since both organs are made of muscle tissue. The lack of dystrophin also impacts brain function, leading to common secondary challenges including learning differences and behavioral disorders. As one of the most prevalent rare genetic disorders affecting children, DMD now has an official global platform for awareness: in 2024, the United Nations General Assembly voted to designate September 7 as World Duchenne Awareness Day.

    The 2026 observance of World Duchenne Awareness Day centers on the transformative theme “Access Changes Lives”, a rallying cry that is both a call to collective action and a shared commitment across global stakeholders. The theme challenges policymakers, healthcare providers, researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech industry leaders, patient advocacy groups, educators, and local communities to collaborate in identifying and dismantling systemic barriers that prevent DMD patients from thriving. It frames progress in the DMD space not only by scientific breakthroughs, but by whether every person living with the condition can actually access the care, support, and opportunities needed to build a full, meaningful life.

    Equitable access to healthcare is one of the most pressing unmet needs for DMD communities, particularly for people in marginalized populations and low-resource regions. Access is the single greatest determinant of positive health outcomes for people living with DMD, encompassing equal access to accurate diagnostic information, early and timely testing, multidisciplinary evidence-based care, specialized clinical services, participation in clinical trials, and cutting-edge innovative therapies. As scientific understanding of DMD deepens and new treatment options continue to reach the global market, leaders have emphasized that these advances must deliver tangible benefits to every affected individual and family, regardless of their geographic location, socioeconomic status, or the limitations of their national healthcare system.

    Beyond clinical care, access also means empowering patients and their families with the knowledge, resources, and support networks required to make informed decisions at every stage of their DMD journey. From the moment of diagnosis through adulthood, consistent access to reliable health information, coordinated care plans, assistive technologies, and peer community support delivers profound improvements to long-term health outcomes, overall well-being, and quality of life.

    Access also extends far beyond the healthcare system to full social inclusion and participation. People living with DMD deserve equal opportunity to engage fully in every dimension of society, including formal education, gainful employment, recreational sports and activities, cultural events, travel, and social connection. Achieving this requires intentional investment in accessible built environments, improved mobility and transportation infrastructure, the removal of both physical and attitudinal social barriers, and a widespread commitment to upholding equal rights for all disabled people.

    While the past several decades have brought remarkable progress in DMD research, clinical care, and treatment options, stark disparities in access persist across countries and communities worldwide. Today, millions of affected individuals and families still face unnecessary barriers that shorten life expectancy, limit opportunities, and exclude them from full participation in community life.

    First systematically documented in detail in the 1860s by Dr. Duchenne de Boulogne, the condition now bears his name in recognition of his early pioneering work. Through its official designation of World Duchenne Awareness Day, the United Nations has encouraged all global stakeholders to proactively raise public awareness of the unique challenges and needs of DMD patients and families as part of the broader rare disease community. This work includes national awareness campaigns, public educational programs, and widespread dissemination of accurate information, all with the dual goals of building greater public understanding and empathy for people affected by DMD and advancing global solidarity for rare disease equity.

    For 2026, World Duchenne Awareness Day is framed as more than just an annual moment of awareness. It is a global call to action for access, fairness, and tangible change for the 300,000 people living with DMD across the globe.