Girl With a Purpose (GWAP)

Jamaica's Response to WHO's Declaration of the H1N1 Flu Pandemic

H1N1 is Serious Business
Originally uploaded by niobite

Today, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chang, declared the Influenza A (H1N1) virus (formerly called the Swine Flu), a pandemic.

This means that it has spread to more than two (2) regions of the world, with rising cases in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile. 

This makes the H1N1 flu pandemic, the first pandemic in 40 years.

The virus has spread to 74 countries and over 30,000 persons are infected. 140 people have died, worldwide.

NB:Those especially at risk of death are those who have respiratory illnesses like pneumonia or emphysema.

There are currently 11 persons affected in Jamaica. Ten (10) got it whilst travelling to New York while the other person contracted it from being in contact with an infected person who had travelled to New York.

The Jamaican Ministry of Health (MOH) has stepped up its mechanisms to contract the spread of the virus, locally.  

In addition to:

• Persons who have travelled and who have flu symptoms being asked to check in with their doctor or heath centre 

  
  

• The constant surveillance and presence of a nurse's station at the island's ports of entry...

Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester, Chief Medical Officer, MOH, stated that:

1. Two following local testing centres have been established:

   
   

   a) The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre

   b) The University of the West Indies

   
   

2. Additional equipment has been received, on island this week, to increase the turnaround time for identification of the disease. This means that 96 samples per time, can be tested.

   
   

3. GPS mapping is being done of infected cases and those they may have come into contact with them

   
   

4. So far four hundred (400) cases have been tested, with eleven (11) persons confirmed.

   
   

5. Ensuring the proper working condition of Isolation rooms in all public hospitals. (That they are self-contained with a bathroom and bed and have proper lighting and ventillation).

(I would like to thank for niobite for the use of his Flickr inset photo, "H1N1 is Serious Business", above).

Please visit the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for more detailed information on the H1N1 virus.

Gillian

Source Includes

Programme - Cover Story, on Nationwide Radio, June 11, 2009

Jamaica Reports First Cases of 'Imported' H1N1 Virus

Map of Jamaica
Originally uploaded by Bonita Jamaica

The Jamaican Ministry of Health issued a press release, yesterday, stating that Jamaica has reported it's first two (2) cases of the H1N1 virus (formerly called the swine flu virus).

One reported case was in the parish of St. Andrew, the other in the parish of St. Catherine. (Both parishes are located in the South and South-Eastern parts of the island, as shown in the map of Jamaica in our inset photo.)

Both persons had recently travelled to New York,USA, where they picked up the virus. Since the virus did not originate in Jamaica, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is calling these two cases, 'imported'.

The MOH has informed the public that both persons have been successfully treated and that there is no need for panic, as case workers have been dilligently following up the two recovered persons and their families to ensure that the disease did not spread to the rest of the communities which they are from.

Please read our previous post, here, to see how you can protect yourself from the H1N1 virus.

For those who plan to travel and for general information, you can follow up with the latest reports of the H1N1 virus, here. This article also includes information on how to protect yourself, if you are planning to travel.

(I would like to thank Bonita Jamaica for the use of her Flickr inset photo of the map of Jamaica.)

Gillian

Sources Include

1) Television Jamaica, Prime Time News at 7:00 p.m., May 30, 2009

2) Article, "Two possible cases of H1N1 virus in Jamaica", RadioJamaica.com, May 30, 2009

Telling It Like It Is (Part 2)

Sharing the joke
Originally uploaded by Paul.McGee

Please see our previous post, here, for a background to this post.

The Free Dictionary defines a friend as a person whom one knows, likes and trusts.

Friends are very important people in our lives, as they are great people to share our time with, are great sounding-boards for second opinions re events that occur in our lives, and are usually great shoulders to cry on, should the situation warrant it.

As such, it is important to maintain harmonious (good) relationship with our friends.

Part of doing this, is being frank with our friends:

Yes, most of our friends do expect us to be straightforward and truthful with them, but care should also be exercised in these relationships.

E.g. there are certain sensitive topics like bad breath and body odour issues, that should  be dealt with delicately.

If there is a problem in any of these areas, you need to speak with the affected person directly...don't ask another friend to do it...you noticed the problem, be a friend and help the person fix it.

For Bad Breath Issues:

Please remember that we all experience bad breath throughout the day... so you need to ask yourself if your friend consistently has bad breath issues or if his/her bad breath situation is rare...

In most cases:

1) Brushing one's teeth after major meals (breakfast, lunch or dinner)

2) Brushing the top surface of one's tongue from the tip of the tongue to the wider portion near the back of the mouth

3) Flossing twice, daily

4) Using a a gentle mouth cleanser like Listerine after brushing (if you intend to go out)

5) Sucking on low-sugar breath-mints or chewing sugar-free gum, after meals taken away from home (e.g. at school or at work)...

...will eliminate bad breath.

If the person is a smoker, then his/her bad breath will be caused by smoking...but this problem can be alleviated by the person doing the above five (5) things.

(You should dissuade your friend from smoking, as it damages his/her lungs, causes lung diseases and lessens the length of his life and the lives of family, friends and associates who inhale his/her smoke).

If your friend is not a smoker, his/her bad breath could be a sign of deeper health issues...

In this case, you need to encourage your friend to go to his/her dentist and doctor to investigate the matter,further.

For Body Odour issues:

If your friend has a body odour problem...then maybe your friend needs to be encouraged to do the following:

1) Change the time day when he/she bathes...like switching bathing time from evenings to mornings, to ensure that his/her body is fresh to start a new school/work-day

2) If your friend has to go out in the evening...another bath may be in order...the least your friend should do, in this case, is to brush his/her teeth again, properly wash and dry under arms, under breasts (for females) and pubic area, before venturing out in the evening 

3) Your friend should also be encouraged to apply a fresh splash of cologne (for males) and dab of perfume (for females), before venturing out.

If the above suggestions do not work, then maybe your friend:

1) Needs a change of soap - on that is hypoallergenic, but strong enough to get rid of body odours and last throughout the day

2) Needs to know where and how to put on perfume and cologne. The general rule is that they go in between the creases of the body, where there is a pulse (small blood vessel).

 

For women, areas of choice are,  a little (a dab):

a) Behind the ear (or just below the back of the ear), or on the skin area between the neck and shoulder,

b) On the skin,just in between the fold between your hand and arm (just above the elbow)

c) On the inside of your wrist (near the inside palm of the hands)

d) At the back of the neck at the intersection of the neck and the shoulder - [not necessary if you do a) above]

e) Right in the middle of the intersection of the back and the bottom

f) At the inside fold of the leg and the foot (directly under the knee)

For men:

a) A little aftershave on the cheek and neck area by the cheeks

b) A good dab of cologne across the breast area (very hairy men may need more)

c) A little on the inside of your wrist (near the inside palm of the hands)

d) A good dab of cologne across the back and near the intersection of the mid-back and bottom (very hairy men may need more)

e) A little on the sides of the body (between breast area and hips) - [not necessary if you do d) above]

f) A little at the inside fold of the leg and the foot (directly under the knee).

6) A general rule of thumb is that :

a) You should apply a little (a dab) of cologne/perfume in the creases (natural folds) of the body, but just enough to feel and smell fresh.

However, your application of perfume/cologne should not be so strong that people have to run from the room, when you approach. :)

b) Use cologne and perfume that blend well with your natural body odour and soap smell

c) Test cologne/perfume on your wrist, wear it around for at least 3-4 hours to a day, before purchasing it.

These are simple things that can be done to improve your friend's well-being...

Making suggestions like the above, is really what is called for as a friend.

(Please remember that when dealing with anyone, but especially a friend, you should put yourself in his/her shoes and ask yourself how you'd like someone to approach and deal with you, if the tables were turned.

Doing so, will earn you great credos for being a friend who exercises care, when telling it like it is.)

Nuff said (Jamaican,meaning, enough has been said).

(I would like to thank Paul.McGee for the use of his inset Flickr picture, above.)

Gillian

Start the New Year With Laughter!

It is said that laughter is the best medicine...and I strongly agree!

I was presented with this wonderful gift, over a week ago, when I saw the movie, "Elf", starring Will Ferrell.

It's about a young orphan child  who mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts on Christmas Eve and is transported back to the North Pole and raised as an elf.

Years later, the child - "Buddy", learns he is not really an elf and goes on a journey to New York City to find his true identity.

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I was laughing continuously throughout this movie,when I realized, "Man, I haven't laughed like this in years!"..

(I was keeling over with laughter, laughing 'til  I was crying...non-stop, throughout this movie!)

You see, laughter exercises all the muscles of the human body and gives the person laughing, a positive sense of well-being.

It also releases the feel-good, pain-killing hormones called endorphins, which not only improve your general well-being, they boost your immune system, as the more they are released, the better you feel and more likely you are to fight off infections.

And boy, do we need this positive sense of well-being, this year, to ease the stress and the strain that we'll be facing!

...this year will be a challenging one, financially, for most people across the globe...

...So I wanted to give you, our highly valued friends, a huge dose of laughter, to help you forget about your worries...for at least the 97 minutes that it will take you to watch this movie.

I guarantee you that your whole outlook on life will change after you've seen this movie ...

...This movie not only cracks you up with laughter, it also teaches positive family values that will keep you in a reflective mood for days.

I have made the following links available where you can get "Elf" from  Amazon.com and iTunes:

The Amazon.com link is:

The iTunes link is: Elf

Do enjoy!...and please let me know how it goes!

Gillian

Source Includes:

Article, "Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter", from website www.holisticonline.com

World Mammography Day: Have You Done Your Mammogram as Yet?

Today, October 17,2008, is being celebrated as World Mammography Day....

(October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month.)

Today, women over 40 years old are being encouraged to do their annual mammograms and women between ages 30-39 are being encouraged to do their baseline mammograms.

These terms are explained below:

According to sites: advancedbreasttreatment.com/glossary.html and medicineworld.org/cancer/descriptions.html, a mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. It is a method of detecting breast cancers that cannot be felt. Mammograms are done with a special type of X-ray machine that is used only for this purpose.

...The machine works similarly to the X-ray machine used for doing chest X-rays and exposes the breast to very low doses of radiation.

Breast tumors, because of their higher density compared to normal tissues, are seen as abnormalities on a mammogram.

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A baseline mammogram is the first X-ray of the breast that shows what your normal breast tissue looks like.

It acts as a reference point for future mammograms, so that the doctor can see how your breast tissue changes over time, when compared with the first X-ray of the breast.

According to site: Breast cancer Facts from About.com's Women's Health:

1) Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55 to 74.

2) The first sign of breast cancer usually shows up on a woman's mammogram before it can be felt or any other symptoms are present.

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Breast cancer affects one in every 23 Jamaican women and one in every 8 women, globally.

Regular breast-self exams - done once per month, regular annual visits to the doctor and in the case of women over 35, mammograms) are the best ways to detect cancer early.

Studies show that 96% of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five (5) years.

Please see our previous post from October 2006, here, re how to do your breast self-exams.

While you're there, you can also take a look at the previous post - "Little Known Facts About Breast Cancer" written on October 23, 2006.

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 ....So have you done your mammogram as yet?

You should do it to today - it could save your life!

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Screening for Mammograms, in Jamaica can be done at:

The Jamaica Cancer Society,

16 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 5. 

(It is recommended that persons wishing to have this test done make an appointment by calling 876-927-4265.)

For our friends outside of Jamaica, you can check your local Cancer Societies to see where they do the screenings.

Here are some helpful links:

1) The American Cancer Society

2) The Canadian Cancer Society

3) International Directory of Cancer Societies & Organizations.

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Please see the inset YouTube video, above, which gives a simple and helpful explanation of what the mammogram involves and how doing one can save your life!

Gillian

Sources Include:

1) Breast Cancer Facts, by Tracee Cornforth, About.com's Women's Health section, December 1,2003

2) Myths and facts about breast cancer, Prevention Magazine-The Indian Edition, October 2008

Do You Feel Left Out for Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day is February 14 and is usually celebrated the world over, as the day for lovers.

It's the day when lovers exchange flowers, gifts, cards, letters, etc., which supposedly demonstrate the depth of their love. History has this tradition dating back as far as the 1500's...when poems, flowers and love notes were exchanged as tokens of love and affection.

It's also the day when would-be lovers express their desire, to the people they're attracted to, to start a relationship.

Or when lovers signify the depth of their love by deciding to marry or have a greater commitment to each other.

With all this gift-giving and fanfare, you'd be tempted to believe that almost all the world is in love and if you aren't, you may be feeling a little left out.

Well, I'm here to tell you, that you don't need to feel left out...Valentine's Day can be anything you want it to be...love is not restricted to lovers. :)

As long as you're a living, breathing, human being, you have the capacity to give and receive love and this means that you can give the gift of love to anyone you want...

From your parents, to your siblings, to your friends, to your teachers, love can be expressed...

You can say a sweet "thank you" or give a "thank you note" to show how much you appreciate them. This will usually be deeply appreciated.

So too would be other gifts that come from the heart..

...And they don't have to be expensive...once they involve care, thoughtfulness and your time (e.g. gifts that you may make), people who are reasonable, will usually be overjoyed at receiving them.

So, taking out the trash, making a meal, cleaning up after yourself (consistently)...might seem simple, but these can mean a lot to the people in your life...

So too are, taking your siblings to after-school activities, sitting with them until your parents get home or helping with their homework... These thoughtful actions will go a long way in helping your parents, who may be pressured for time.

So this Valentine's Day, don't pout or cry because you aren't in love right now...give love in thoughtful and meaningful ways to the people that you've been blessed with, in your life...

This attitude will not only improve your well-being (how you feel about yourself and others), but will force you to be resourceful, innovative, thoughtful in the gifts you design and to be thankful to God for these wonderful people in your life.

Happy Valentine's Day when it comes!

Stay tuned for our next post, "How Deep is Your Love?", on Wednesday.

Gillian

Sources Include:

1) Article" Valentine's Day", Wikipedia.org

2) Article "St. Valentine's Day - February 14th", Pictureframes.co.uk