Health
Food Wastes while People of countries like Somalia starve; donate to support fund raising of $1 billion
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
Somalia, December 1, 2022 – Farmers around the world produce enough food to feed 10 billion people with 8 billion currently on the planet. We should all be well fed. Instead hundreds of thousands of Somalians are facing starvation at this very moment. As many as four children and 2 adults per 10 thousand will die each day. For years the rainy season in Somalia has been non-existent. Water is barely available in large enough amounts to feed animals and people, crops are not surviving, it’s the country’s worst drought in decades.
It will take $1 billion and the UN says it’s only halfway there.
Earlier this year the United Nations and Red Cross begged for donations warning that without the cash needed millions would face food insecurity or starvation. In mere weeks outright famine could arrive.
The World Food Program informed it needs US$327 million until January 2023 to effectively feed Somalians. Donations are a matter of life and death for more than 200 thousand people who cannot coax the land they depend on to yield any food.
It was said around 513 thousand children are malnourished and 173 thousand are at risk of dying from starvation.
James Elder, UNICEF, said “It’s a pending nightmare we have not seen this century. This is not just about nutrition,
severely malnourished children are in fact up to 11 times more likely to die from things like diarrhea and measles than well-nourished boys and girls.”
Even as Kenya and Ethiopia struggle with their own food insecurity they continue to keep their borders open ushering in any Somalian who can survive the walk. As the crisis worsens it begs the question: We have the food so why isn’t it making it to everyone?
Several years ago I can recall working at one of the United States’ major supermarket chains as a college student. One day the manager of the produce department entered the breakroom with an entire case of bright red strawberries announcing that they would expire within the day and couldn’t be sold. “Eat, eat!” She prompted the group of 19 year olds, all from countries (Thailand and Jamaica) where strawberries are not grown in large amounts and thus expensive. Delighted, we ate ourselves sick. This is part of the problem.
Around half the total weight of food produced is wasted.
An article from National Geographic corroborates it. In richer countries that waste occurs in supermarkets, restaurants and homes. Wealthier countries can afford to provide copious amounts of meat, beautiful out of season fruit and cooked meals for residents to choose from, all of which must be dumped as soon as the expiry date passes.
In smaller countries we have our fair share of waste as well farmers who do not have access to proper storage and transportation often find their wares spoiling.
The article revealed that with all this waste ‘only 55 percent of the world’s crop calories feed people directly; the rest are fed to livestock (about 36 percent) or turned into biofuels and industrial products (roughly 9 percent).’
Feeding less of that hard grown food to animals is a start to food equity, letting cows and other animals graze on naturally occurring grass and pasture will help. So too will shifting our diet from such meat intensive meals to more plant rich plates.
These are long term goals.
In the near future the only thing that will save the vulnerable is immediate worldwide mobilisation and donations. Individuals as well as countries and organisations interested can donate to Somalia at the World Food Program’s website.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
In a first for the Turks and Caicos and one that some would describe as particularly important, over three dozen healthcare professionals were upskilled in emergency trauma care via Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certification.
Trauma Care in emergency medicine usually refers to treating patients who are critically ill or have severe injuries and need to be quickly stabilized like gunshot wounds, damaged limbs, crush injuries, and stab wounds.
In 1976 following a plane crash involving a surgeon and his children who experienced substandard trauma care, the first ATLS course was created. It attempts to provide basic training for medical professionals when dealing with acute trauma cases where there is little staff on hand. In fact ATLS is supposed to work with as little as a single doctor and nurse team working together to stop the most critical injuries first, ensuring a better chance of survival.
This is particularly useful for the Turks and Caicos with its small hospitals and limited staff. Health officials admitted this, highlighting what they describe as ‘the pressing need for such training, particularly due to physician shortage, isolated communities in family islands and other barriers to accessing this critical training.’
Recognizing the need, the Hamilton Education Foundation jumped into action, and in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and the American College of Surgeons conducted a Hybrid Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Demo for 31 doctors in the Turks and Caicos Islands on May 22nd and 23rd, 2024.
Led by Professor Susan Briggs,the foundation describes the course as historic in that it’s the first-ever done outside the United States and says it is;“Crucial for enhancing the quality of healthcare delivery and saving lives in the face of increasing intentional and unintentional injuries.”
With the rise in gunshot injuries in the country, seen through police data since 2020 many residents might be inclined to agree.
While admitting it was difficult to measure if ATLS reduced mortality, a 2016 article published in the National Library of Medicine describes the courses as “very useful from an educational point of view. It significantly increased knowledge, and improved practical skills and the critical decision making process in managing multiple trauma patients”
Rufus Ewing, Former Premier and Executive Chairman of the Hamilton Education Foundation, said, “This initiative aligns with our mission to enhance medical education and improve access to quality healthcare services in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
The training received broad brush support from the Ministry of Health, TCI Hospital and private sector.
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#Argentina, April 15, 2024 – Argentina is currently facing a shortage in mosquito repellents, a severely unfortunate development for the nation as it is now fighting a surge in dengue cases, in-line with PAHO predictions that the region will face its worst dengue season on record.
The mosquito repellent shortage was reportedly noticed in March 2024 and Argentina, according to the Ministry of Health, recorded over 163,000 cases with deaths in all age groups, more common for those over 80 years old.
The situation is widespread across Argentina as indicated by supermarkets putting on display “no repellent” signs.
Places where repellents are still available, online spaces especially, are selling them at high prices.
As to the reason behind the shortage, BBC reports that it was told by one of the production companies (for repellents), that a forecast error was at fault and that manufacturing took months. Additionally, mirroring this, Mario Russo reports a supply and demand problem.
The Government is making efforts to have this sorted as soon as possible, but Argentinians, reports say, are not so hopeful as hundreds of thousands have already been infected.
Preventative measures such as repellents are crucial for Argeniniand who reply heavily on them, as they await the dengue vaccine which is already developed, but still In its early stages of distribution.
-
Caribbean News1 week agoBarbados welcomes new aircraft
-
Caribbean News1 week agoHaiti political update and Trinidad and Tobago not sending troops for mission
-
Health1 week agoDengue passes 1000 deaths mark in Brazil
-
Health1 week agoTURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PARTICIPATED IN EIGHTH MEETING OF NATIONAL HIV/AIDS PROGRAMME MANAGERS AND PANCAP SHARE FAIR
-
Caribbean News5 days agoHaiti Gang Firearms more than Police – UN says where they come from.
-
Caribbean News2 days agoCARICOM, UN applauds published decree establishing Haiti’s Transitional Government
-
Health1 week agoChildren and Teens Vaping, Royal TCI Police say “IT IS NOT SAFE!”
-
Caribbean News5 days agoGuyana Wildfires