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Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, wants special care taken to ensure that children do not play in unclean or stagnant water as cholera, which has now caused nearly 300 deaths in neighbouring Haiti, is essentially a water-borne disease. Mr. Golding issued the caution in a statement to the House of Representatives, Tuesday (October 26), on the current cholera outbreak...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has lauded Public Health Inspectors for their 'tremendous contributions' to national development in the areas of public and environmental health. "I would like to salute you all for your contributions to the health of citizens across Jamaica, and for being part of the bedrock of the Ministry of Health, protecting and maintaining health through...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has assured the nation that there are currently no cases of cholera in the island. Mr. Spencer made the disclosure after meeting with members of the health team Wednesday (October 27), when all aspects of the Ministry's preparedness and response programme were discussed at his Ministry, downtown Kingston. The Minister said that a key...

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester, has said the Health Ministry will be intensifying its efforts to prevent the spread of cholera in Jamaica, despite no reported outbreak of the disease in the island to date. She noted that a multi-disciplinary approach based on prevention, preparedness and response, along with an efficient surveillance system, are key to mitigating, controlling and...

Director General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Derby has assured that the country is adequately equipped to handle any possible cases of cholera among passengers and crews at the nation's airports. This assurance comes in the wake of reports of confirmed cases of cholera in Haiti. The Ministry of Health has heightened surveillance activities against...

Measures to prevent mosquito infestation and reduce the risk of Dengue Fever transmission, were outlined at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Community Meeting at Mount Pleasant All Age School, Portland, on Wednesday (October 20). Among the measures outlined by Assistant Entomologist at Portland Health Services, Neville Schobourgh, were: careful management of necessary water-holding containers; disposal of unwanted water-holding containers; keeping...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jean Dixon, has appealed to all partners involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, to continue to give their support especially in a climate where resources are limited. "No one can deny the enormous contribution of international and regional partners in the response to the AIDS epidemic. We could not have...

Jamaicans in Canada have donated well-needed medical supplies to the four regional health authorities to assist in providing optimal health care to patients across the country. Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, on (October 19), handed over the supplies of some 300,000 needles and syringes to representatives of the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), South...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Consultant Hematologist/ Oncologist at the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS), Dr. Sheray Ward-Chin is reminding women to conduct regular self-examination to increase the changes of detecting and successfully treating the disease in its early stages. Speaking on Wednesday (Oct. 13) at a JIS Think Tank, Dr. Ward-Chin said that while there is no cure...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jean Dixon, has cited the need for a multi-sectoral approach, incorporating agriculture, fisheries, forestry and health, to ensure that the population's food and nutritional requirements and needs are adequately met and secured. This, she contends, is vital if Jamaica is to effectively counter challenges which the country has faced over the past...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has commended the staff of the Spanish Town Hospital for their "tremendous work" in seeing to the care of patients during and after the recent flood rains. He was speaking to JIS News on Thursday (Oct.14) after touring sections of the Spanish Town Hospital, which were affected by floodwater from the heavy rains associated...

The National Immunisation Programme now has better access to some of Jamaica's most remote areas with the acquisition of two new motor vehicles, which promises to strengthen its efforts to achieve 100 per cent immunisation coverage. The vehicles, valued at $5.3 million, were handed over to representatives from the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and the North East Regional Health...