The Westmoreland Health Department is advising schools and parents to be on the lookout for symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease (HMFD) among children. Parish Health and Promotions Officer, Gerald Miller, said that while there is no outbreak of the disease in the parish, the Department has received isolated reports of cases, and as such, parents and school administrators...

Persons who are living with HIV are being implored to avail themselves of powerful antiretroviral (ARV) medication to give themselves a chance at life. The appeal comes from Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA) Coordinator, National Family Planning Board (NFPB), Ainsley Reid. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Mr. Reid said that these drugs are effective even...

The Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Joint United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) – (UNAIDS) – which will activate the Fast-Track Cities programme in Kingston. The Fast-Track Cities initiative is a global partnership between cities and municipalities around the world with four core partners – the International Association of Providers...

Policy Advisor for the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), Nicole Foster, says that consumers must have easy access to information on the contents of packaged foods, noting that the matter is a human rights issue. “This is a matter of our right to know, our children’s right to know as well as our right to the highest attainable standard of health...

Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Inés Fors Fernández (centre), with the 40 medical professionals from her country and other officials at the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Occasion was a welcome reception for the healthcare professionals, held today (November 25), at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices in St. Andrew. The team members will be deployed across the island to...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says stigma associated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to stymie Jamaica’s efforts to achieve its 90-90-90 treatment targets that will set the country on a course to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.   The targets set by UNAIDS, are for 90 per cent of  people living with HIV...

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) is carrying out assessments to determine the food labelling model that will work best for the country, as the Government moves closer to making front of package labelling mandatory in Jamaica. Senior Standards and Certification Officer at the BSJ, Phillipa O’Connor, said that at least six models are being examined by the entity.  She...