Caribbean Times 11.03.2016

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8 health Caribbean Times | November 3-16, 2016 Effectively tracking Zika zika UWI regional task force tracks rare neurological disorder Thomas Langerak, PhD student at Erasmus Medical Centre, Holland, second from right, demonstrates the use of the new Caribbean database for Guillain-Barré syndrome to (L-R) Dr Azad Esack, Consultant, Neurologist, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Centre, Mount Hope (EWMSC); Dr Sherry Sandy, Lecturer in Adult Clinical Medicine at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine (UWI); and Dr Avidesh Panday, Consultant, Neurologist, EWMSC, Mount Hope. The meeting took place at the Adult Medicine Unit, Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI, September 29, 2016 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The Caribbean has moved one step closer to uncovering the link between the zika virus disease and a rare neurological illness. Once an obscure pathogen, the mosquito-borne zika virus quickly spread to more than 40 countries in the Americas after an outbreak in northeast Brazil in early 2015. The outbreak could pose an economic burden of $3.5 billion on Latin America and the Caribbean alone, according to a World Bank estimate. Zika is now widely feared for causing microcephaly -- a birth defect in which children have malformed heads and severely stunted brain development. The virus is also linked with an uncommon neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome, which involves extreme muscle weakness and eventual paralysis. Much is yet to be understood about the syndrome and its link to zika, in part because it is so rare. A study published in The Lancet in April found “evidence for virus infection causing Guillain-Barré syndrome.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the zika virus is “strongly associated” with the syndrome, but has stopped short of declaring it a cause of the condition. Another study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August suggests that even asymptomatic zika infections could bring on Guillain-Barré syndrome. In seven countries that experienced zika outbreaks, there were also sharp increases in the numbers of people suffering from a form of temporary paralysis. From April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016, a total of 164,237 confirmed and suspected cases of zika and 1,474 cases of the Guillain-Barré syndrome were reported in Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Suriname and Venezuela. A new Caribbean-based initiative, launched by The University of the West Indies (UWI) in partnership with the Erasmus Medical Centre in Holland, aims to shed even more light on the relationship between zika and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Researchers from both institutions are working together to collect data on confirmed Guillain-Barré syndrome patients who are also confirmed zika patients. The data can be used to generate Continued on page 22 Steps to avoid Hypothermia Cold Can Be Dangerous The frosty air of winter can be invigorating. But cold air can also pose threats to your health, whether you’re indoors or outside. If your body temperature drops too low, it can lead to a serious, sometimes deadly condition known as hypothermia. Learn to recognize the signs of this condition, and take steps to keep yourself and your family warm and safe during this chilly season. A normal body temperature is 98.6 °F. Just a few degrees lower—below 95°—can be dangerous, especially for the very young and very old. “The body is finely tuned to operate within a narrow temperature range inside the body, despite large differences in temperature outside the body. We have all sorts of mechanisms—like adjusting the size of our small blood vessels and shivering—to help us maintain a healthy body temperature,” says NIH’s Dr. Basil Eldadah, who oversees research on the medical care of older adults. “But older adults and young children are more susceptible to the effects of outside temperature changes. When the body’s inside temperature strays beyond that narrow range, body functions don’t operate well.” Low body temperatures can impair vital organs. When cold affects the body, people may have trouble thinking clearly, talking properly, or moving well. They may not realize what’s happening, or they might not be able to take steps to warm up or ask for help. Anyone who spends much time outdoors in very cold weather can get hypothermia. But hypothermia can happen anywhere—not just outside and not just in bitter winter weather. It can strike when temperatures are cool—for example, if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or being in cold water. “Even during the heat of summer, older people and very small children are at risk if air conditioning makes their homes too cold,” Eldadah says. Certain medications and alcohol can also raise the risk for hypothermia. Left untreated, hypothermia can quickly turn dangerous. Several hundred people in the U.S.— half of them age 65 or older—die from hypothermia each year. “If you suspect that someone you know or love may be at risk of hypothermia, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms, and take quick action if needed,” Eldadah says. “First get the person out of the cold or wet environment if possible, remove any wet clothes, and cover the person with dry blankets or whatever’s handy.” Offer the person something warm to drink, but avoid alcohol or caffeinated beverages like coffee. “Also avoid things like a hot-water bath or a heating pad,” says Continued on page 12

news 9 Defending the poultry industry in the Caribbean Sector looks for import restrictions to support the industry Desmond Ali, executive director of the Caribbean Poultry Association, explains some of the challenges in the regional poultry industry. By Ivan Cairo GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- While poultry farms are making serious efforts, including financial investments, to make the region self-sufficient, several issues such as illegal imports from Brazil and cheap ‘dump chicken’ from the US are harming the industry, local entrepreneurs say. According to Trevin Nairne, export manager with Jamaica Broilers, throughout the Caribbean B-grade chicken is being imported from the US “that clearly is being dumped”. Meanwhile, Brazilian, Mexican and Chilean chicken is also entering the regional market. Nairne wondered how it is possible that a large facility such as Jamaica Broilers, which produces high quality products, exists in the region and yet inferior quality chicken is allowed to enter the regional market. During several events at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2016 in the Cayman Islands, representatives of international and regional institutions, policymakers and farmers lamented the fact that unhealthy foods especially are entering the Caribbean in staggering amounts. Desmond Ali, executive director of the Caribbean Poultry Association (CPA), said that for some time the organization has raised its concerns regarding the influx of chicken from outside the region. He stressed that “a lot of poultry is coming illegally into the region from places as Brazil, which are not approved exporters into the region”. There are also concerns about “dark meat such as leg quarters, backs and necks that is coming from the US”. According to Ali, the US currently has around one billion pounds of dark meat in frozen stock, which had to be sold somewhere since countries as Russia and China dropped the amount of dark meat that they used to import from the US. Russia used to buy one Photo by Ivan Cairo million pounds a year but that has dropped to 300,000 pounds. “So the US has to send this dark meat somewhere and we in the Caribbean are one of the markets that they are coveting,” Ali said. He warned that the region should be “extremely careful and cautious about defending our industry”. With sales reaching US$650 million a year, employing about 135,000 people and a production of 286,000 metric tonnes of meat, the poultry industry is the largest agri-business in the Caribbean, “larger than most agri-businesses put together”. “We are a big industry in terms of our socio-economic impact and we need to defend that industry,” the CPA official said. In a bid to prevent illegal and sub-standard cheap products from interfering and disrupting the regional market, a Caribbean poultry meat standard was developed and subsequently approved by the Caribbean Regional Organization for Standards and Quality. The CARICOM Council on Trade and Economic Development (COTED) approved these standards in December 2012. These standards should now be implemented throughout the region, said Ali. Two important components of these standards are that: any meat that has been frozen cannot be thawed and sold as chilled meat, nor can it be thawed and refrozen. “Secondly we are saying that any meat that is more than 180 days old cannot be sold for human consumption,” Ali noted. The CPA is seeing poultry meat from outside the region “that’s two and three and four years old”, which is posing serious health risks for consumers. The CPA chief further said that the organization is also looking into phytosanitary measures to block unwanted products from entering the region. Continued on page 26 Caribbean Nationals urged to meet deadline to file for US citizenship NEW YORK, Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke is urging Caribbean nationals who want to file immigration applications and petitions to submit them before December 23, 2016, when several fees will increase. “Citizenship confers enormous benefits, such as the right to vote, that allow people an opportunity to enjoy the full blessings of American life. It relieves and protects those lacking citizenship status from the fear that any interaction with the law enforcement officials or the court system could result in deportation proceedings and a forced separation from loved ones,” said Clarke, the daughter of the Jamaican- born councillor Dr Una ST Clarke. “Citizenship makes it possible to fully enjoy the fruits of one’s labour. As the daughter of parents who came to the United States from the nation of Jamaica, and the representative of a community that includes immigrants from around the world, I am hopeful that individuals who are eligible to apply for citizenship will complete the required paperwork and submit their forms before fees increase on December 23.” To advertise in this section, contact us at (718) 909-1841 or email us at production@ caribbeannews.com Caribbean Times | November 3-16, 2016

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