A bullet lodged on Humes’ cervical spine has paralyzed him, but doctors from the U.S. are offering to remove the bullet for free. The estimated cost of the surgery is one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but it is his traveling expenses amounting to twenty thousand dollars that he is required to cover. Francine […]
A two-day meeting started today at the Royal Room of the Ramada Belize City Princess to address the issue of HIV and Youths. Hosted by the Collaborative Network of Persons Living with HIV in Belize, the meeting is the first national assembly of HIV positive youths as an initiative of a larger organization, Young Persons […]
Is Chik-V in Belize? The virus is prevalent in neighboring Central American countries and the Caribbean and in reality it is more a matter of when, not if, it reaches our shores. Up to Monday, the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health informed News Five that the virus was in Belize….but that has apparently […]
In the event of national disasters or catastrophes, the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, is expected to take the helm. But when those disasters are confined to Belize City, the City Emergency Management Organization, CEMO, is structured to take control. The entity is run out of City Hall, and meets every month to discuss disaster […]
A mind as medicine workshop will be held on Saturday at the Center for Yoga and Healing Arts. “Mind as Medicine” is a concept developed by Health Education, Doctor Mark Pirtle that characterizes all chronic illnesses as being stress-related. His theory is that the mind and the body are the best pharmacy and claims that […]
Activities commemorating the international day of recognition for diabetes have been scheduled for the month of November. Diabetes, otherwise known as the silent killer, is among the leading causes of death in Belize. The national awareness campaign commences this Saturday in Belize City and will be spread across the coming weeks in other parts of […]
Ebola and Chik-V pose potential threats to the health of Belizeans. ChikV is not as dangerous, but is prevalent in the region; but Ebola is deadly and as a recent threat showed, information on Ebola is severely lacking. Today, the Belize National Library Service held a health fair that sought to promote healthy lifestyles as […]
Over the past few months, there has been an increased attention on viral infections like Ebola and Chikungunya; but, there is one viral menace that is sweeping across the nation and sending many to the hospitals on a weekly basis. Tonight on Healthy Living, we look at the more serious complication of dengue: the dengue […]
Despite the presence of the epidemic in neighboring Central American countries as well as in the Caribbean, there are still no reported cases of CHIK-V in Belize. That’s the report coming out the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health today. Several samples were taken from the Las Flores Community in Belmopan for testing last […]
For the tenth consecutive year, a team of plastic surgeons will be conducting a two-day clinic in Belize. Doctors Alan Burke and Howard Krein will be heading this year’s mission which for the first time will be held both at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City and the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga. […]
The annual plastic surgery clinic is among the many health programs that are provided by the World Pediatric Project. Country Representative, Milagro Garel told News Five today about the services provided by the World Pediatric Project and the annual fundraiser held in the U.S. for the health programs. Milagro Garel, Country Representative, World […]
On August sixteenth, Benque resident Yanie Cu was driving Yolanda Valencia to the market in San Ignacio when they collided into a vehicle driven by Deputy Commission of Police Miguel Segura. Valencia, a market vendor, died on the spot, and Cu was badly injured. Segura was not hurt. He later tested above the approved limit […]
Yanie Cu left a bill of eleven thousand quetzales in Guatemalan and he will need to return there for therapy and more treatment. So far, with a complete lack of official assistance, the family has relied on the largesse of the immediate community, and the constant support of caregivers and community activist Nancy Marin. It […]
Aside from preparing to deal with the Ebola virus and Chikungunya, the Ministry of Health this week has been building awareness on the importance of healthy teeth. Dental Health Week was celebrated under the theme “Belizeans Big-Up Your Smile, It Reflects Your Style.” Throughout the week, dental health departments in all the municipalities carried out […]
Tonight, officials from the Ministry of Health are still anxiously awaiting the results of testing on four samples which were sent to Trinidad. The persons tested, all from the Las Flores area in Belmopan, have shown positive for Chikungunya using a rapid test, but that test is not considered absolute confirmation. Until there is some […]
We all know – even if we don’t practice the habit – that when we’re feeling under the weather or experiencing strange pains or symptoms; that it is advisable to go to a doctor. What we don’t think about is how important it is to visit a doctor even when we’re feeling perfectly fine. What […]
Facing the threat of the dread Ebola, the nation went on high alert, which is a polite way of saying we panicked. There’s no threat from that particular source any longer, but now there’s a new report that Chikungunya is here, specifically in one community in the City of Belmopan. Chikingunya, or CHIKV, doesn’t inspire […]
Dengue has been identified in certain communities across the country, and that is where the Vector Control Unit pumps its resources. Like in Las Flores, for example, the team collects information on positive dengue tests from private labs and from the Western Regional Hospital, and then targets those homes for spraying. They’ll end up visiting […]
With the news that the health worker aboard the Carnival Magic had tested negative for Ebola, the threat to Belize was gone. But it was a wake-up call, sent home to G.O.B. by a public driven to the edge of panic last Thursday. All relevant authorities have been spurred into action, with focus on the […]
Late September, we showed you ten-year old Cleyon Marage Junior; who is afflicted with Acute Myloid Leukemia. The young student cannot get medical treatment in Belize and his mother made a public appeal for assistance to take him to Merida where he has to travel to at least once a month for eighteen months of […]
Marage Junior is in critical condition and pediatrician, Doctor Cecilio Eck, has taken on his case. His mother says that Doctor Eck does not agree with him traveling because he is a high risk case. At this time, Marage Junior is receiving antibiotics, which is all that is available locally to treat him. But United […]
It has now been confirmed that a lab technician who was a passenger on the Carnival Magic cruise ship, has been cleared of the Ebola virus. Tests were done on her before the Carnival cruise ship was to arrive in Galveston, Texas. The woman and her husband arrived in Belize on Thursday and the possibility […]
Important training sessions will continue throughout the week to further sensitize frontline workers on the dangers of Ebola. Via Phone: Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Interim Head, Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health “The activities will continue this Wednesday and Thursday, we are doing training sessions with the surveillance team from across the country and we hope […]
The possibility of a threat from the deadly Ebola virus placed the nation on edge on Thursday night, but tonight there is a sigh of relief. The scare started when it became known that a lab technician who may have had contact with fluids from Ebola victim, Thomas Eric Duncan, was travelling on the Carnival […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow was also at this morning’s press conference to quell fears. He reiterated that if there had been any way at all that he could have assisted the U.S. without risk, he would have. And there were discussions entertained at first on getting these quarantined persons on a plane which would fly […]
