Health Wise

What is Tuberculosis (TB)? Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is spread from person to person thro...

We often hear that inactivity or sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health. In fact, it has been proven that inactivity is a risk factor for a number...

As with previous variants, the vast majority of people infected with omicron have a mix of symptoms that resolve relatively quickly and don’t require ...

As we begin the New Year, now is a good time to press the reset button and to start developing healthy habits that can help you to live healthy lives ...

As we start preparations for the Christmas season, we must remember that yet again we will be celebrating another Christmas under the shadows of the C...

Chest Pain is common. Many times, chest pain can be confused for many different medical conditions. Often it is brushed aside as just “gas”. However, ...

One question that people who are vaccinated ask is, how they can remain safe. Even if you are vaccinated, there is still the possibility of contractin...

World Polio Day was observed on Sunday October 24. This day is commemorated every year to raise awareness for polio vaccination and the eradication of...

The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10th October every year. The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to ra...

There is an old saying that most Vincentians are familiar with. It goes something like this, “Fowl who nah hear shoo, does feel boop.” Normally, this ...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the lives and livelihood of many people. While children appear to be largely spared from the direct ...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that we operate. For many persons, remaining at home is not as easy as it may seem. Being in isolati...

Healthcare workers are at increased risk of contracting infectious diseases at work and further transmitting them to colleagues, patients and even the...

Last week, I wrote that misinformation was fuelling vaccine hesitancy. Many readers reached out to me and asked what about mistrust. I then decided to...

HIGH LEVELS OF what is referred to as vaccine hesitancy exist in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccines in the coun...

New and emerging diseases continue to appear as we live in a world that is becoming extremely globalized. While globalization has its advantages, we m...

AS THE GLOBAL COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of improvement in some countries, most businesses have slowly started to return to normal operations. Howe...

PUBLIC HEALTH professionals are looking for ways to increase Covid-19 vaccination uptake. Despite the numerous disruptions from the ongoing pandemic, ...

MORE THAN ONE year after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic it is becoming increasingly clear that vaccines will prove to be essential in combating th...

COVID-19 has undoubtedly impacted the lives and the livelihood of almost all of us. Approximately a year after the first cases of COVID-19 were report...

THE 2021 ATLANTIC hurricane season officially starts today, June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Cent...

While there is a lot that we still don’t know about SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, we do know that it is spreads most effectively f...

There are so many concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines. Most of these concerns are driven principally by misinformation and are not based on the scien...

DURING AND AFTER a natural disaster such as the volcano eruption and hurricanes, people turn to canned food to provide a fast and reliable source of f...

St Vincent and the Grenadines is now reporting above normal cases of COVID-19 compared to 2020. In 2020, we managed to keep cases of COVID-19 to a min...

COVID-19 has undoubtedly impacted the lives and the livelihood of almost all of us. Approximately a year after the first cases of COVID-19 were report...

Each year, December 1 is commemorated as World AIDS Day, an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread...

The theme for World Diabetes Day 2020 focuses on the role of nurses in fighting against diabetes, caring for diabetic patients and supporting communit...

VINCENTIANS WILL go to the polls in less than three weeks. Our constitution affords us the opportunity to choose our leaders who we think are best fit...

Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults, but seldom causes death. However, when dengue becomes seve...

When we speak of wellness, we are speaking about more than just diseases. Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward...

THE AGING PROCESS changes both the body and the mind. Many aging changes are physiological in nature, as the body begins to degenerate and break down....

MEDIA REPORTS OVER the weekend stated that a total of 45 persons have so far been hospitalized this year for Dengue Fever. Reports have also indicated...

As schools across St Vincent and the Grenadines get ready to open their doors once again for face-to-face learning, they are doing so with the added d...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwh...

As the summer break comes to an end; parents, students and authorities are pondering over how do we get back our students into the school environment ...

This year continues to be dominated by COVID-19. Whilst some countries have been successful at flattening the curve, the virus is still spiraling out ...

There is currently no evidence that people living with HIV are at a higher risk of being infected with coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19 ill...

During the past few days you may have noticed that outside is looking very hazy. This is due to Saharan dust plume blowing across the Atlantic Ocean f...

Public health ensures that the health of the population is protected. Regardless of colour, age, sex religious belief, etc. Public health actions shou...

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season officially started on June 1. It is predicted that an above-normal season is expected, according to forecasters fro...

While developed countries with well established health systems and huge health budgets struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19, developing countrie...

Last week I looked at the mental health related aspects of COVID-19. In my previous article I referred to the World Health Organization (WHO) definiti...

The World Health Organization defines Health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or in...

ST VINCENT AND THE Grenadines now has its first case of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) which has now been declared as a pandemic by the World Health...

We often hear that inactivity or sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health. In fact, it has been proven that inactivity is a risk factor for a number...

The current coronavirus outbreak that was recently declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) has stirred up high levels o...

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe...

Late last year the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China, reported 27 cases of acute respiratory syndrome of...

The term Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) is used in the field of communicable diseases to denote a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevai...

The New Year has begun, but we are still in the holiday season. It is important that we do not forget about our health. During the festive season peop...

As we approach the Christmas season, many of us will be travelling. For most of us travelling is an enjoyable experience and something that we look fo...

The month of November is Prematurity Awareness Month, and the world lights up purple for preemies who have made it, as well as in remembrance of those...

Thursday, November 14 2017 will be celebrated as World Diabetes Day. The theme for World Diabetes Day is centred around protecting the family. This th...

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. During this month people wear the colour pink to raise awareness about the disease. There are many activitie...

Weeks after the popular heartburn drug ranitidine, known by the brand name Zantac, was found to contain a cancer-causing chemical, multiple drugstores...

We tend to view violence and crime as merely social or legal problems. However, these are very important public health problems. Violence has probably...

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti and, to a lesser extent, Ae. alb...

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti and, to a lesser extent, Ae. alb...

Chest Pain is common. Many times, chest pain can be confused for many different medical conditions. Often it is brushed aside as just “gas”. However, ...

Medical ethics is grounded on four principles. These principles are autonomy, beneficence, justice and nonmaleficence. Autonomy addresses the ability ...

The average adult human body is 50-65 per cent water and every cell, tissue and organ in your body require water in order to function at its best. Wat...

We have all felt what it is to be stressed. For some people every day can be stressful. For others, stress occurs when there is a significant event th...

On July17, 2019, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Repu...

When we speak of wellness, we are speaking about more than just diseases. Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward...

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, or commonly in St. Vincent as just “pressure”, is the single most important risk factor for stroke. I...

Around this time of the year, temperatures are expected to increase. Summer is a time when there are lots of outdoor activities leaving you exposed to...

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life – for ...

The region of the Americas including the Caribbean is the first in the world to have eliminated measles (1). This achievement is due to the sustained ...

In a few days’ time, on June 1, the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season will start. It is predicted that this year’s hurricane season will be similar to th...

Last Friday was celebrated as World Hypertension Day. Each year since 2006, on May 17, the World Hypertension League (WHL), in close partnership with ...

Recently, there were reported cases of deaths from Leptospirosis in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. From time to time, we hear of similar occurrences ...

Many of us may not have seen what measles look like but would have heard of it. Thanks to the high rates of immunization, this disease is virtually wi...

The term Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) is used in the field of communicable diseases to denote a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevai...

Serious workplace injury or death can change lives forever for families, friends, communities, and co-workers. Human loss and suffering is immeasurabl...

Meningitis is the inflammation of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges. Meningitis can be caused by...

Ageing is a natural process, which presents a unique challenge for all sections of the society. The demographic profile of the Caribbean is changing a...

If we are what we eat, then many of us must be tripping all over the place due to a lack of balance. The average Vincentian consumes on average one se...

Some people may suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), while some may suffer from high blood sugar (diabetes). However, there is a significan...

What is Tuberculosis (TB)? Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is spread from person to person thro...

Last week Monday was observed as World Cancer Day. World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to e...

There is an outbreak of measles currently going on in some parts of the United States. Other European countries are also reporting outbreaks of this v...

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe...