Tag: Dr Nick Gent
CMO blames law over problems with hemp products
(CNS): Beauty, cosmetic and other products that contain hemp were removed from local store shelves because of local legislation that bans the consumption, use or possession of any cannabinoid product and not due to any directive from the Public Health Department, according to Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent. Even though there is barely a […]
Respiratory illnesses spike amid new COVID strain
(CNS): The Ministry of Health and Wellness expects that respiratory illnesses will continue to increase over the course of the holiday season and in January due to travel, the influx of arrivals, and an increase in the number and size of gatherings. The World Health Organization has also classified the JN.1 strain of COVID-19 as […]
Dengue cases mount due to regional outbreak
(CNS): Local public health officials have confirmed that as of 7 November there have been 18 laboratory confirmed cases of Dengue in the Cayman Islands. Of those, nine were imported cases with the patients having a recent travel history, but the other nine were infected locally. Since the start of the year 97 cases have […]
17 local schools record cases of hand, foot and mouth
(CNS): As of Wednesday, 18 October, the Public Health Department had identified hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in 17 local schools, according to Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez. There are no vaccines that prevent this virus or specific cures. Health officials are therefore urging parents to practice good hygiene to contain the […]
Health officials warn of local dengue transmission
(CNS): Early evidence of local person-to-person dengue transmission has been identified in the Cayman Islands, officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Public Health Department have said. So far this year, four of 28 suspected dengue cases have been confirmed, and one of those infected individuals had no travel history.
COVID spreads but not fuelling respiratory illness
(CNS): Seeking to allay concerns in the community that an increase in the spread of COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands has caused a correlating increase in respiratory illnesses, Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent has said that current hospitalisations due to respiratory problems are in line with previous years.
Cannabis ‘gummies’ delivered without prescription
(CNS): Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent is asking medical professionals and pharmacists to follow the law when it comes to the dispensing and prescription of cannabis products, as all forms of the drug are illegal here unless prescribed by a doctor. After a local pharmacy mistakenly delivered cannabis gummies to a young patient without […]
COVID vaccine becomes a seasonal shot
(CNS): Local cases of COVID-19 are on the decline and the last batch of Moderna vaccines on-island has expired. Therefore, the Public Health Department will no longer offer the shots on a monthly basis but will instead administer them seasonally, as is the case with the flu vaccines. Officials told CNS that since April, when […]
Anti-tobacco UN treaty extended to Cayman
(CNS): The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been extended to the Cayman Islands, the first UK Overseas Territory in the region to request and receive this extension. Cayman officials said that the FCTC, one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations, would […]
No easy fixes for giant sargassum ‘blob’
(CNS): Dubbed the ‘great blob’, the ever-increasing sargassum belt that circulates in the Atlantic has grown to more than 5,500 miles across and is currently moving through our region. Government officials are warning that the belt is likely to wash ashore in the Cayman Islands again this year. But there is no easy fix. Officials […]
Ministry to conduct WHO health survey of 3,300 homes
(CNS): The Ministry of Health has announced plans to undertake the World Health Organization’s “STEPS” survey in June. The internationally comparable, standardised and integrated surveillance tool allows officials to collect, analyse and disseminate core information on noncommunicable diseases (NCD). Noting the importance of getting a true picture of NCD in the Cayman Islands, officials said that […]
