标签： Dominica

Public health gains in cervical cancer prevention in Dominica are being overshadowed by growing concern over an alarming trend of younger patients being diagnosed with breast cancer on the island, according to top local medical experts.

In a recent appearance on DBS Radio’s popular Creole Heartbeat Program, hosted by Leroy ‘Wadix’ Charles, consultant gynecologist Dr. Curvin Ferreira shared encouraging data showing a consistent downward trend in invasive cervical cancer cases across the country. Globally, cervical cancer ranks as the second most common cancer among women and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death for female populations, making this local decline a notable public health success.

Dr. Ferreira attributed the progress to two key public health initiatives rolled out over the past two decades: the widespread national Pap test screening program, and the government’s introduction of school-based Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination campaigns. The screening program has allowed clinicians to catch far more pre-cancerous cell changes before they progress to full-blown, life-threatening cancer – a shift that Dr. Ferreira says directly reflects the impact of consistent public health investment over 20 years, regardless of which administration held power. “We get more of the pre-cancers now, and that is, I think, credence to whoever has been in power for the last 20 years. There has definitely been a reduction in cervical cancer,” he explained. “We get a lot of pre-cancer, and these are curable, but the real cancer, there is a downward trend.”

Beyond his update on cervical cancer, Dr. Ferreira also addressed common misconceptions about uterine fibroids, a common gynecological condition affecting women across the island. He noted that between 30 and 40 percent of Dominican women will develop fibroids at some point in their lives, countering claims that dietary choices contribute to fibroid growth. Instead, he suggested the high prevalence in the local population is likely tied to racial factors.

However, the mood shifted when experts turned to discussion of breast cancer trends in Dominica, with Dr. Ferreira confirming that diagnoses are increasingly being made in younger and younger age groups. This observation aligns with data shared during an October 2024 Cancer Awareness Public Sensitization Exercise held at the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital (DCFH), where oncologist Dr. Laura Esprit emphasized that breast cancer has become the most pressing cancer-related public health challenge on the island.

Dr. Esprit shared local cancer registry data showing that breast cancer became the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Dominica in 2022, overtaking prostate cancer to claim the top spot. In 2023 alone, the disease accounted for more than 25 percent of all cancer diagnoses recorded on the island. Over the past five years, the country has recorded an average of 22.5 new breast cancer cases each year, with cancer-related deaths recorded in patients as young as 25 to 29 years old.

Breast cancer develops when abnormal cells in breast tissue multiply uncontrollably to form tumors; if not detected and treated early, these tumors can spread to other parts of the body and cause fatal outcomes. Dr. Esprit stressed that the rising rates and falling age of diagnosis make breast cancer a critical priority among non-communicable diseases in Dominica, calling for urgent, targeted action to address the growing crisis. “These figures are reiterated because this is our very productive sector, and this requires us to pause and pay special attention to this disease as one of the Non-Communicable Diseases,” Dr. Esprit said. “This certainly necessitates a call for immediate action and attention.”

The air in a delivery room falls still, broken only by the raw, distinctive cry of a newborn entering the world. Moments after birth, the infant is laid skin-to-skin on their mother’s chest, tiny fingers unfurling as they acclimate to the unfamiliar space outside the womb. Driven by innate instinct, the child slowly moves toward the breast to take their first feed, drinking in colostrum — the thick, golden “first milk” packed with critical nutrients and disease-fighting antibodies that shield this fragile new life. This carefully documented, life-setting window is known as the “golden hour”: the first 60 minutes after birth, when immediate skin-to-skin contact and early breastfeeding lay the foundation for strong parent-child bonding and give infants a healthy, sustainable beginning. While this practice may seem like a universal, natural right, it remains out of reach for far too many mothers across the Caribbean region.

Every year from August 1 to 7 since 1992, global communities mark World Breastfeeding Week, an initiative first launched by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) to draw global attention to the transformative health benefits of breastfeeding for growing infants. For 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) has selected the theme “Breastfeeding is a sustainable start to life: strengthen what works”, underscoring the practice’s irreplaceable role in supporting lifelong healthy development. Beyond its well-documented benefits for infants — including boosted immunity, reduced risk of childhood infections, lower rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and secure emotional bonding between mother and child — breastfeeding also delivers significant advantages for birthing mothers. It lowers maternal stress levels, deepens the early parent-child connection, supports postpartum recovery through stimulating uterine contractions, and aids healthy gradual weight loss after birth.

However, 2023 data from UNICEF reveals a stark gap in breastfeeding access and uptake across Latin America and the Caribbean: just 4 out of 10 infants under six months old are exclusively breastfed in the region, falling far short of the global average of 65%. This figure is deeply worrying, even as governments and health organizations across the region — including Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Health, which has run extensive public awareness campaigns — have worked to highlight breastfeeding’s wide-ranging benefits. Public health advocates are now pressing for answers to a critical question: why do breastfeeding rates remain so low across much of the Caribbean? Possible root causes range from a lack of dedicated, accessible spaces for breastfeeding in public and workplaces, lingering cultural stigma around public breastfeeding, to persistent gaps in public understanding of the long-term health benefits of the practice for both mothers and children.

Public health experts have outlined several evidence-based solutions to address this gap. One key intervention is expanding dedicated breastfeeding support centers in maternal health wards, building on the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) long-running Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. This program is already active in 35 countries across the Americas, including Caribbean nations Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana and Grenada, with a core mission to protect, promote, and support comprehensive breastfeeding care for new mothers. Another critical step is expanding in-person awareness campaigns targeting isolated rural communities, ensuring that information and support reach all demographic groups, not just urban populations with easy access to digital and printed health resources. Finally, expanded ongoing support from community health nurses is needed across the region to address post-discharge barriers, particularly workplace challenges that force many mothers to stop breastfeeding soon after returning to work from maternity leave.

As global stakeholders mark World Breastfeeding Week 2026, public health advocates across the Caribbean emphasize that breastfeeding is a foundational public health intervention that benefits both maternal and child health. Closing the region’s breastfeeding gap will require targeted, inclusive strategies that reach all groups of mothers, removing structural and social barriers to ensure every infant can get the strong, sustainable start to life that breastfeeding provides.

As the Caribbean braces for a dramatic 55% surge in new cancer cases by 2050, two leading regional health bodies have joined forces in a landmark five-year collaboration to ramp up the region’s capacity to prevent, treat and control the disease.

Projections from regional health planners show that annual new cancer diagnoses across the Caribbean will jump from 123,884 in 2024 to 191,997 by mid-century, creating an urgent need for coordinated, cross-regional action to address the expanding public health challenge. It is against this critical backdrop that the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Association for Oncology and Hematology (CAOH) have formalized their new partnership through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), announced in a joint press statement issued by the organizations.

The agreement outlines a broad scope of work, prioritizing key areas including enhanced cancer surveillance, expanded professional training for oncology and hematology practitioners, joint clinical and public health research, public outreach on nutrition and healthy lifestyles, and improved access to safe, quality-assured cancer medications across the region.

“Regional collaboration has always stood as one of the Caribbean’s greatest strengths,” noted Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA, at the MoU signing ceremony. “This partnership creates a vital opportunity to unify technical expertise, regional population data, and coordinated public health action to boost prevention efforts, expand early detection, strengthen national cancer control systems, and improve access to reliably tested, quality cancer medicines.”

Dr. Marisa Nimrod, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of CAOH, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the partnership will unlock new opportunities for professional growth and collective impact across the Caribbean’s oncology community. “Through this alignment with CARPHA, our member clinicians and researchers will gain access to joint programming, cross-regional training initiatives, collaborative research opportunities, and expanded professional networks,” Nimrod explained. “It also creates clear pathways for our community to contribute to stronger cancer surveillance systems and advance the development of evidence-based Caribbean cancer policy and public health programs.”

To deliver on the agreement’s commitments, CARPHA will leverage existing institutional resources across three of its key departments: the Chronic Disease and Injury Department, the Caribbean Regulatory System, and the Medicines Quality Control and Surveillance Department. Additional priorities of the partnership include expanding the completeness and accuracy of regional cancer registry data, rolling out public education campaigns to promote cancer-preventive healthy lifestyles, improving workplace safety protocols for staff handling hazardous cancer treatments, and strengthening pharmacovigilance and post-market monitoring frameworks for oncology medications.

The collaboration marked its first public joint activity at CAOH’s 14th Annual Scientific Conference, held July 17, 2026 at the Trinidad Hilton. CARPHA officials Dr. Chantelle Bailey and Nicole Ennis led a hybrid technical panel focused on advancing medicine quality assurance, pharmacovigilance, and post-market surveillance in oncology care, which drew in-person and virtual participants from across the region. Panel discussions covered a range of pressing challenges including the spread of substandard and falsified cancer medications, the role of laboratory testing in verifying drug quality, cross-border regulatory cooperation, streamlined systems for adverse drug reaction reporting, and the implementation of risk-based monitoring frameworks for oncology treatments.

Looking ahead, CARPHA officials note that the sustained partnership will support the delivery of safer cancer care and help build stronger, more resilient public health systems across all 19 CARPHA Member States, positioning the region to better manage the projected growth of cancer burden in the coming decades.