In more than a hundred countries around the world, today, December first is being celebrated as World AIDS Day under the theme: Make the Promise! Keep the Promise! Prevent HIV/AIDS. Here in Belize, church bells tolled at ten this morning in observance of the millions who have died from the deadly disease. Belize’s infection prevalence […]
In this next story, we introduce you to a woman who has endured more pain and suffering in the last twelve months than most will in a lifetime. Last November, forty-five year old Ann Tiabo gave birth to twin boys in a Chetumal hospital, but within hours the newborns passed away. Now a year later, […]
With World AIDS Day just two days away, today the National AIDS Commission and Pan American Health Organization met with Belizean journalists to examine the reporting of HIV/AIDS in Belize. Among the topics were whether or not our print and electronic media are helping to increase awareness of the epidemic and what reporters can do […]
It’s a side of the war against HIV and AIDS that we don’t often hear about…the constant exposure doctors and nurses face by simply doing their jobs. Today, health care professionals from throughout the country gathered in Belize City to discuss the latest techniques in handling blood specimens to ensure accurate, reliable results. But as […]
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Caribbean Health Research Council, PAHO and WHO is this week conducting a Research Ethics Workshop. That is, the proper collection of data to ensure accurate analysis and reports. According to organisers, the goal of this conference is to acquaint participants with the latest developments in research ethics […]
A man who started smoking when he was only sixteen years old is now paying the ultimate price for his bad habit. Forty-seven year old Mario Ramirez started exhibiting signs of throat cancer in 2003. Unable to afford treatment, he ignored it as long as he could until he was unable to eat. Ramirez finally […]
Medical care in Belize has undergone tremendous transformation, but as we found out this afternoon, some of the doctors and nurses in the country are continuously striving to improve their skills so as to serve the public with the latest methods in medicine. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Resuscitation courses aren?t new to Belize, but this week?s […]
Today World Diabetes Day was observed in a ceremony that included testimonials and an address by the Minister of Human Development Sylvia Flores. This year’s focus centred on the theme “Put Feet First, Prevent Amputation.” In 2003, a total of five hundred and thirty-six diabetics were hospitalised and of that number seventy-two died due to […]
Over one hundred thousand dollars in surgical equipment was today donated to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The new gear, earmarked for the recently created neurosurgery department, came courtesy of the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery. Belize’s first neurosurgeon, Dr. Joel Cervantes, says the equipment will go a long way towards helping Belizeans […]
Although the various agencies working to promote good health practices to all Belizeans do a pretty good job of getting their information out to the public, nothing beats the personal touch. And there’s nothing better than an information fair for bringing it all together in one place. News Five was in Maskall today for a […]
This week psychiatric nurse practitioners from across the country are being trained to better address the needs of children. The two-day workshop, an initiative of the National Committee for Families and Children in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, is being facilitated by psychologist Dr. Jim Kanter and Judith Boivin, a registered nurse and licensed […]
For the past three days, community activists, government officials, and representatives of local non-governmental organizations have gathered at the Princess Hotel to discuss the violation of basic human rights being suffered by persons living with HIV/AIDS and those affected by the deadly disease. With facilitators from the Latin American and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service […]
Next door to the anti-stigma and discrimination workshop, public health officials were hard at work discussing, among other things, the fact that Belize’s present Health Act does not address the impact of HIV/AIDS. Revamping outdated legislation is just one of the objectives of today’s workshop as the Ministry of Health continues on its ambitious plan […]
There is some great news to report tonight regarding the progress of ten year old Neville Bermudez. Bermudez underwent emergency heart surgery on October twelfth at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, Florida. According to his doctors, the child stopped responding to medication, causing his lungs to cease functioning during the procedure, putting a tremendous […]
With the widely available information on HIV/AIDS in our region, it’s hard to imagine that some people still react with fear, even hatred against people diagnosed with the virus. But it happens… and more frequently than we imagine. What can be done? Well some believe that the way to change people’s attitudes is by going […]
Two days after ten year old Neville Bermudez was air ambulanced to Tampa, Florida, we are informed that the young patient underwent emergency heart surgery on Tuesday night. That operation appears to have been successful and Bermudez is reportedly doing well. Two weeks ago the boy complained about pain in his hands and an examination […]
This week is being observed as Mental Health Week. The event will be marked by a number of activities to help raise awareness about the issue and promote mental health under the theme “Mental and Physical Health Across the Life Span.” This morning, the forty-nine patients at Rockview Hospital were among the guests invited to […]
On Monday we introduced you to a boy who was desperately ill and needed your help. Tonight, while we still have our fingers crossed for his survival, thanks to the community’s generosity, there is now some hope. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Tonight ten-year-old Neville Bermudez is fighting to survive the weekend. On Monday, a critical care […]
Not all stories that begin at the hospital have a happy ending. Such is the case with a story we reported on Friday. Luwiena Garnett, Sherida’s Sister “I mi deh right there. I mi di hold ih hand until she tek her last breath. Her brain done dead the docta say.” Janelle Chanona, Reporting Shortly […]
A sudden illness, grave diagnosis, and lack of resources for a potentially lifesaving emergency operation. It’s a situation that, unfortunately, arises all too often. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods reports from the K.H.M.H. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Ten-year-old Neville Bermudez is in need of an urgent heart surgery to repair a collapsed valve that has left him […]
It’s hard enough to find yourself in the middle of a life-threatening medical emergency, but to have to face it without any financial resources only makes the ordeal that much worse. Today News Five spoke with one young woman who is not only battling intense pain, but feeling increasingly worried she may not be able […]
The nation’s first case of the dangerous dengue hemorrhagic fever has been confirmed as blood samples sent to Mexico have indicated positive results. Sources tell News Five that the man from the Cayo District had been making frequent trips to Melchor de Mencos in Guatemala and could have been infected across the border. Fortunately, that […]
A century ago the death of a woman in childbirth was not an unusual occurrence. And while today modern medicine has made great strides in reducing maternal mortality, Belizean officials say we need to do more… and have been meeting this week in Belize City to figure out how. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting One out of […]
It is a medical institution that gets more than its share of bad press… but what we often fail to mention is that, as the nation’s busiest and most important health facility, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital handles thousand of cases each year–ranging from gunshot wounds to headaches–with a competent professionalism that cannot be matched […]
On September nineteenth, Denfield Anderson will be eight months old, but already this baby boy, who weighs only seven pounds and three ounces, has gone through more than his tiny body can endure. Little Denfield was born with a heart defect that has been affecting his breathing and health, and the child’s physicians have acknowledged […]
