Medical Health

Kids taken to hospital after taking undisclosed drug
(CNS): Two juveniles ended up in hospital on Monday after they consumed some drugs and passed out. Responding to a report made at around 7:45pm, police officers went to a residential address in East End, where they found a juvenile who was unresponsive. The juvenile was said to have ingested a drug, which has not been disclosed as […]

Parents urged to get kids vaccinated against HPV
(CNS): The Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Public Health Department have begun an HPV vaccination drive this month to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of over 200 viruses, some of which can spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. Some parents are reluctant to get young children vaccinated because of the virus’s association […]

Senior HSA pharmacist suspended, under investigation
(CNS): Officials from the Health Services Authority have confirmed that a senior member of its pharmacy team has been suspended as a result of an internal investigation. The HSA has not revealed any details of its review of procedures and controls that led to placing the staff member, who is understood to be the chief […]

Drug council promotes acting director to top job
(CNS): Brenda Watson has been appointed as the new director of the National Drug Council following an open recruitment process, marking a new chapter in the organisation’s ongoing efforts to enhance its impact on public health and education around substance misuse, officials said. Watson, who has been with the NDC for ten years and has […]

Dart plans ‘health hub’ in Camana Bay
(CNS): Dart is seeking planning permission for a new Centre of Health and Wellness on the edge of Camana Bay next door to the new Health City Cayman Islands hospital with the intention of creating a “hub of medical facilities in the community’s south end”, according to a release on the developer’s website. The project, […]

Health ministry corrects fake news about Mpox cases
(CNS): A fabricated “news report” currently circulating via email, WhatsApp and social media stating that there are two confirmed cases of Mpox in the Cayman Islands is fake, the Ministry of Health & Wellness has said. The current outbreak of Mpox began in East Africa but has now spread to Asia and Europe. No cases have […]

MRCU data shows dramatic drop in mosquitos
(CNS): One sign of dedication in the staff at the Mosquito Research and Control Unit is their willingness to get bitten in the name of science. As well as counting the number of mosquitoes caught in traps each night, they also collect data in the form of bites per minute. “This is when a disease […]

Ministry issues advisories on Mpox and Oropouche
(CNS): The Ministry of Health and Wellness has issued advisories on both Monkeypox, now referred to as Mpox, and the Oropouche virus, though there have been no confirmed cases of either disease in the Cayman Islands. On 14 August, in response to a surge of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and onward […]

Health ministry seeking to reduce pressure on A&E
(CNS): The Ministry of Health and Wellness says it is working on optimising services that can reduce the pressure on Grand Cayman’s only accident and emergency room located at the HSA hospital in George Town. Officials said that as part of the ministry’s aim to improve overall patient outcomes, it is looking at how enhancing […]

Hospital beds short of population needs
(CNS): Answering a parliamentary question about the number of inpatient hospital beds in the Cayman Islands, Health Minister Sabrina Turner gave an answer that does not arithmetically compute. She said that there are currently 226 beds across all of the public and private facilities. But when she broke down the numbers, they added up to […]

Urgent call for O- and O+ blood ahead of storm
(CNS): As Hurricane Beryl approaches, the Cayman Islands Blood Bank urgently requests donations of O Positive and O Negative blood today and tomorrow (Tuesday and Wednesday), as these two blood types are critically needed to ensure the Blood Bank is prepared for any emergencies that may arise during and after the storm. “With the threat […]