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GUYANA: Benefits of HPV vaccine touted -as Vaccination Week concludes in Moco Moco

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Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

#Guyana, April 30, 2018 – Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence has reiterated that the myths and misconceptions of the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine must be put aside since administering the injection is the key to preventing the disease.    The Public Health Minister was speaking at the closing ceremony for Vaccination Week-Guyana on April 27 in Moco Moco village, Region Nine.

“It had been recognised that myths and other misconceptions of the HPV vaccines are being peddled.  This is hampering successful implementations and efficacy of the vaccine… Let us put aside the myths and the stories and get our girls immunised…  because when cancer comes, no myth or story can help them.  Then, parents are crying, families depressed, everybody is looking for a miracle.  The only miracle available at the moment in Guyana is the HPV Vaccine,” the minister said.

Children of Moco Moco Nursery School performing an acrostic poem on effective vaccines.

“We have the responsibility to protect our children especially our girls…we have the right and the responsibility to ensure that they are vaccinated living a healthy life without cancer,” she added.

Since 2017, the vaccination has again been made available free of charge at all public health facilities, for administered to all girls between the ages of 9 to 13 upon their parents’ approval.

UNICEF, country Representative, Paolo Marchi also supported the minister’s call for the public to be more open to the vaccination including against HPV.  He commended the Maternal and Child Health Department of the Ministryfor the robust work being undertaken to ensure there 100 percent vaccination coverage.

This is the 16th year Ministry of Public Health is collaborating with PAHO/WHO to host Vaccination Week in Guyana.  This year, as part the weeklong celebration, the Ministry chose to highlight its vaccination services countrywide especially to far-flung communities, particularly those near borders.

Residents of Moco Moco Village, Region Nine.

 

 

By: Delicia Haynes (DPI Guyana)

 

Editor’s Note:

HPV vaccine is an inactivated (not live) vaccine which protects against four major types of HPV. These include two types that cause about 70% of cervical cancer and two types that cause about 90% of genital warts. The vaccine is routinely recommended for girls 9 and 13 years of age.

From April 21-28, 2018, the Region of the Americas celebrated the 16th Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) campaign with a soccer theme in honor of the 2018 World Cup. The campaign slogan “Strengthen your defense! #GetVax #VaccinesWork” linked strengthening defense on the soccer team with strengthening the body’s defense to vaccine-preventable diseases through vaccination.

Vaccination Week in the Americas was proposed by the health ministers of countries in the Andean region as part of a response to measles outbreak in Venezuela and Colombia in 2002. Since its official launch in 2003 more than 720 million people of all ages have been vaccinated against a wide range of diseases such as measles, rubella, yellow fever, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and influenza.

 

 

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New Tilapia Hatchery Slated for Completion Later This Year

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – The new tilapia hatchery under construction in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, is slated for completion towards the end of 2024.

The 12,000 sq. ft. facility, being built at a cost of approximately $574 million, is intended to address the major issue of shortages in good-quality seed stock for fish farmers islandwide.

Manager for the Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project, Selena Ledgister, says the hatchery’s establishment is critical for securing a sustainable fisheries sector.

“Construction is on in earnest and we are looking before the year is out – which would be by around September or October – to complete the building part of it. The Project will be supporting the purchase and installation of the recirculating aquaculture system. This system will provide over five million advanced fries (young fish) per year, using the recirculating aquaculture system,” she told JIS News.

The bio-secure climate-resilient modular hatchery, being developed in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), will feature a solar standby generator, plumbing system, rehabilitated guard host and administrative building.

Mrs. Ledgister said the hatchery, to be built and operated under environmentally friendly conditions, will impact the lives of fish farmers islandwide.

“I believe we have over 120 aquaculture farmers, and that number is growing; so, this will benefit the industry significantly. The hatchery is also expected to cushion the demand for fish. Fish farmers will also get the supply of advanced fries to restock their ponds. This is a significant impact that the Climate Resilience Project, as well as JSIF, will be creating for the Jamaican fish farmers,” she said.

 

Contact: Twila Wheelan

Release: JIS

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Trust Fund for Poor Children Born On or After August 6, 2022

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – Children born on or after the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, who are wards of the State or beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will be eligible for the Jamaica 60 HOPE (Hope, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment) For Children Trust Fund.

Jamaica celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on August 6, 2022.

In his contribution to the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 21, Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, said the purpose of the Fund is to help to close the wealth gap and address the issue of intergenerational poverty by creating a trust account specifically catered to vulnerable children.

“The HOPE for Children Trust Fund will provide each eligible child with a long-term savings account funded through annual contributions from the Government. Parents, guardians or other donors will also be able to make deposits into the account for the future benefit of any specific child,” Mr. Holness said.

The accumulated funds, including interest, will be accessible on or after the child’s 18th birthday, for specific purposes such as education, purchase of a home or commercial property or investment in a business.

“The central idea behind the programme is to provide children with a lump sum to start them in life upon attaining adulthood. Our initial target is a lump sum of between $600,000 and $800,000, to be available on the 18th birthday of any eligible child,” Mr. Holness said.

He noted that the Government will also explore alternatives to establish and manage the Fund, adding that it could form part of the National Insurance Fund or be administered by private insurance companies.

“This is, I believe, a ground-breaking initiative to truly grapple with inequality in the society. From a historical perspective, there are many households who have no endowment in Jamaica, meaning that they can’t look towards anything bequeathed to them from their family. There is no asset being passed down to them from generation. The only way that they are able to create any wealth is through their labour, through the dint of their effort – literally pulling themselves up by their bootstraps,” Mr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that as the economy grows, the Government has a responsibility to take instrumental and decisive steps to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and correct structural inequalities.

“The intention here is great, the amount may be considered small, but it is the first step in the right direction to truly create a more equitable society,” Mr. Holness said.

 

Contact: Judana Murphy

Release: JIS

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Port Royal Museum to Open in May

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 26, 2024 – The long-awaited Port Royal Museum is expected to be opened in May of this year, with the first exhibit set to be unveiled at the event.

Construction of the two-storey facility, which will be the first fit-for-purpose museum erected in Jamaica, was done at a cost of $788 million with funding from the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

Major work on the building was completed in December 2023, with finishing touches and furnishings left to be done.

Director of the National Museum Jamaica (NMJ), Dr. Jonathan Greenland, told JIS News in an interview that the new museum will replace the older and much smaller facility at Fort Charles.

“It didn’t touch all the subject areas… so we lobbied for the Port Authority to collaborate with us and develop a museum in Port Royal, and so they’ve actually constructed a huge building with restaurant facilities, lots of parking, multifunctional space and meeting rooms, shops and everything that a modern museum should have,” he said.

The museum will also be fully accessible to members of the disabled community with wheelchair ramps and an elevator.

Dr. Greenland added that the location of the museum is also of notable significance to the history of the sunken city.

“Right on the spot where the museum is going to be, there was a rebellion of the enslaved workers from the dockyard. The leader of the rebellion or uprising was a skilled bricklayer and when you look at the walls around the whole area where the dockyard used to be, he was probably involved in building that,” he said.

He further pointed out that the museum will present a new opportunity for the NMJ to attract even more visitors and facilitate cultural tourism.

“We’re very excited…. and you know Port Royal is a very interesting place and the history is fascinating. We always had loads of visitors from all around the world without doing any marketing whatsoever, and this is going to be a whole different level of merchandising, marketing and tourism. This is fascinating history and it’s going to be quite dramatic,” Dr. Greenland told JIS News.

 

Contact : Jermi-Lee Nelson

Release : JIS

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