health

HEALTH MINISTRY: There is no flu outbreak

The ministry of health is doubling down on its insistence that there is no flu outbreak in Trinidad and Tobago.

In an official statement, the ministry is reasserting that suspected influenza cases for the last three years have been on the decline.

The ministry said there were 6,500 cases in 2016, but that dropped to just over 2,000 for this year, so far.

One hundred thousand doses of the influenza vaccine will be given to all hospitals and health centres throughout Trinidad and Tobago. The ministry says that process should be completed by Friday.

GOPEESINGH: Deyalsingh guilty of negligence in H1N1 outbreak

Former education minister and Caroni East MP, Dr Tim Gopeesingh, says health minister Terrence Deyalsingh is guilty of negligence and mismanagement of the H1N1 outbreak in this country.

In an official statement, the Caroni East MP accuses the health minister of “engaging cheap politics and abdicating his responsibilities to citizens’ lives with respect to the H1N1 (Swine) flu outbreak”.

FUAD KHAN: “We did not hide any H1N1 data…”

Former health minister, Dr Fuad Khan, is demanding that the current health minister retract his allegation that the People’s Partnership Government hid critical information on the H1N1 virus and related deaths in the country.

The call comes in the wake of statements Terrence Deyalsingh made at a PNM political meeting in Tunapuna, this week.

According to Minister Deyalsingh, former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar allegedly instructed public officials to hide swine flu mortality statistics, during the period 2013 to 2015.

Flu vaccines coming to T&T

The 2020 influenza vaccine is expected to arrive in T&T today.

Yesterday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh refuted reports of the government covering up a 'deadly outbreak' of H1N1 in Trinidad and Tobago. 

A social media page alleged that there were thirty deaths thus far, and approximately one thousand cases reported at hospitals.

In his statement, the minister noted that the H1N1 is nothing new. He also indicated the country's flu season started in October and runs until May.

Trini-born surgeon in UK hailed as hero

A Tri­ni-born sur­geon prac­tis­ing in Eng­land is be­ing hailed as a hero by many for suc­cess­ful­ly re­con­struct­ing the jaw of a 15-year-old girl fol­low­ing a horse-rid­ing ac­ci­dent.

Con­sul­tant Oral & Max­illo­fa­cial sur­geon based at Sheffield Teach­ing Hos­pi­tals and an Hon­orary Se­nior Clin­i­cal Lec­tur­er at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Sheffield, Ri­car­do Mo­hammed-Ali, suc­cess­ful­ly re­con­struct­ed the jaw of Emi­ly Ec­cles when it broke in half in Au­gust.

Gopeesingh: Govt failed T&T on Zika

The re­spon­si­bil­i­ty for care and pro­tec­tion for ba­bies with mi­cro­cephaly should be in the state’s hands since Gov­ern­ment was late in re­spond­ing to prepa­ra­tions for last year’s Zi­ka mos­qui­to epi­dem­ic and ba­bies with Mi­cro­cephaly were lat­er born, says UNC MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh.

Gopeesingh was speak­ing in yes­ter­day’s 2020 Bud­get de­bate in the Low­er House.

Mi­cro­cephaly, a con­di­tion where a ba­by’s head is small­er than nor­mal, is caused by the Zi­ka virus among oth­er con­di­tions.

Claims of torture, abuse

Two male vic­tims who stayed at the Trans­formed Life Min­istries Re­ha­bil­i­ta­tion Cen­tre claimed that they were tor­tured and abused dur­ing their eight-month col­lec­tive stay at the church.

“I was gagged, hand­cuffed and thrown in­to a very small cage for many days when I got there. It just has an iron bed frame and a buck­et which I was lat­er told had to be used as a toi­let.”

Pages