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.
Caribbean News
Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis
Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands – 11th May 2024: On Thursday, 9th May 2024, results of testing for two suspected measles cases were received from the Caribbean Public Health Agency, confirming that both cases were positive for measles. These represent the first cases of measles in the TCI since 1991.
The public health team has been responding since initial reports of the suspected cases, carrying out contact tracing, isolation, public education and outreach in anticipation of yesterday’s results. No additional suspected cases have been identified at this time. All unvaccinated contacts of the confirmed cases have been vaccinated. Additional vaccination efforts will be conducted throughout the TCI. 
The public health team has been receiving technical support from its key stakeholders including the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).
Measles is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads easily between people. Symptoms typically start between 10 and 12 days after catching the infection. The signs and symptoms of measles are:
- A high fever
- Runny or blocked nose
- Cough
- Red, sore, watery eyes
Small greyish-white spots with a bluish-white center inside the mouth, cheek, and throat may appear a few days later. A rash usually appears 2-4 days after the cold-like symptoms start. The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.
Measles is spread through close contact with someone with measles. This could be through droplets in the air which are generated by the coughs and sneezes of infected persons or by touching things that someone with measles has coughed or sneezed on.
Measles spreads easily within households and in other places where people mix closely together. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected. The period when a person is infectious and can spread the virus is within 7 to 10 days of exposure but can be up to 14 days.
Most measles-related deaths are caused by complications associated with the disease and serious complications are more common in children under the age of 5, or adults over the age of 30 and individuals whose immune systems have been weakened. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, ear infections, or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. Women infected while pregnant are also at risk of severe complications, and the pregnancy may end in miscarriage or preterm delivery. People who recover from measles are immune for the rest of their lives.
Any non-immune person (who has not been vaccinated or was vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected.
No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles virus.
Severe complications from measles can be avoided through supportive care that ensures good nutrition, adequate fluid intake and treatment of dehydration with WHO-recommended oral rehydration solution. This solution replaces fluids and other essential elements that are lost through diarrhoea or vomiting. Antibiotics should be prescribed to treat eye and ear infections, and pneumonia.
A number of measles outbreaks have been detected globally and regionally. While the TCI has high vaccination coverage in the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) (>95%), unvaccinated persons can still acquire measles through contact with an infectious person. 
Having the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent measles. The vaccine is safe and effective in providing long term protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Vaccines are offered free of cost to all children at government-operated primary care facilities across the TCI.
The Ministry of Health and Human Services encourages parents to ensure that their children’s vaccines are up to date. If you are unsure if you or your child has had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, please visit your health care provider. If you have missed a dose, you can still be vaccinated at any age.
The public is being advised to remain vigilant and report any fever with rash or fever followed by rash to their doctor/health care provider as soon as possible.
The Ministry of Health and Human Services is grateful for the support of its stakeholders, including CARPHA, who provided the results of testing in such a prompt manner.
The Ministry of Health and Human Services will continue heightened surveillance for fever and rash and take necessary actions to mitigate against further cases.
For additional information please call 649-338-5469 or visit the Ministry of Health and Human Services Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tciministryofhealth/.
-
Health1 week agoAstraZeneca withdraws COVID vaccines after millions took their jabs
-
Caribbean News5 days agoBelize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis
-
TCI News5 days agoEquity in Energy says Bahamas Energy & Transport Minister in legislative roll out
-
TCI News5 days agoFamily of 16 tourist claims negligence in Grand Turk jet ski death; Coroner’s Court hearing evidence
-
Caribbean News5 days agoMagnetic Media attends Caribbean Media Summit, in focus AI in Journalism
-
world news6 days agoElectricity Access for 600 Million a goal of UN Sustainability Week
-
TCI News3 days agoAMERICAN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER ALLEGEDLY ARRESTED FOR TWO BULLETS
-
Bahamas News5 days agoThe Bahamas Successfully Hosts Its Fourth World Athletics Relays