Today was World Health Day and it was observed with a fair in Belize
City where there was free advice, free testing, and free counseling. 7News was
there.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The theme for World Health Day is ‘Urban Health Matters’ and nowhere
does it matter more than in Belize City.
Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
“We are concerned about illnesses that are literally killing our people
and making it unhealthy for them to lead productive lives. Diabetes, high blood
pressure, HIV/Aids, because we have an HIV/Aids in the workplace policy that
we have adopted. But illnesses such as diabetes continue to play a role, high
blood pressure, high cholesterol.”
Dr. Jorge Polanco, Deputy Director of Health Services
“At every forum we would make use of the opportunity to inform the
public of those risk factors which have to do with nutritional lifestyle, eating
an unbalanced diet, and I am using the term unbalanced because there is a need
for sugars, there is a need for fats but the problem is that the tendency is
to eat an excess of carbohydrates and fats which we are all aware has contributed
to obesity in the entire country of Belize.”
Zenaida Moya,
“All in all we want people to be healthy and to lead productive lives,
a productive citizenry for our municipality.”
And the first step is to get tested. At today’s health fair day they
offered free tests and counseling for HIV, diabetes, tuberculosis, and blood
pressure. I took the test for blood glucose level – to check if I had
diabetes.
Joyce Flowers, Program Organizer - Belize Diabetes Assoc.
“She will be testing your blood, she will be giving you a little prick
and she will get some blood and it will go on the meter and the meter will say
what your glucose level is. 176 is very high. My advice to you would to come
back in the next two hours to check it again because if it is higher than between
70 and 120 then we recommend you do a lab test to determine if you are diabetic
or not.”
And while I took one test – Lindbergh Hemsley took all four, including
his HIV test.
Lindbergh Hemsley,
“I like to know my status and if I was to discover that I have Aids
I would try to carry out some research on my own but it is good to know. I would
advise everyone to come and get an Aids test.”
Keith Swift,
“So this is the full work you are getting, HIV, Diabetes, and pressure?
What was the result of your blood glucose test?”
Lindbergh Hemsley,
“154 was kind of high, somewhat high.”
What’s also high are cases of tuberculosis – an infectious disease
of the lungs that is spread in the air. According to the latest statistics –
tuberculosis is Belize’s forgotten killer.
Dr. Francis Murray, National TB Coordinator
“TB is a disease a social issue, it is a cultural issue, it is a disease
that affects all individuals but especially those who in our country who are
socially and economically challenged. It does not have a face it will affect,
it does not have a person it will affect, or any creed or any religion but it
mostly affects this sector of society. In 2007 we had 63 cases, in 2008 we had
88 cases, and in 2009 we had 89 cases of TB in country. We are also seeing multiple
drug resistance to TB which means that patients who have not taken their medications
on a daily basis as indicated by their physician consistently for the six months
duration have developed what we refer to as drug resistance.”
According to the Ministry of Health, diseases like tuberculosis can be prevented.
Dr. Jorge Polanco,
“It is a matter of promoting health within the urban areas. As one
of the speakers made reference to, it is just a matter of having healthy urbanizations
throughout the world. There are many contributing factors for having unhealthy
populations or vulnerable groups risk factors for diseases within the cities
which we know is tied into the overall management of the city. Some risk factors
are controllable and some are not that easy.”
Cabinet has approved a ban on smoking in public areas.
Dr. Jorge Polanco,
“There will be areas in the city where smoking will be prohibited.
To start with it includes government buildings, all government vehicles, all
public transports, specifically the buses, with the taxis I am not sure as yet.
Restaurants for example, lobbies of private institutions where the public gathers
like example the lobbies of the banks, we know that as we speak smoking is not
done there but the idea is to legislate it in order to ensure that the workplaces
of the private and public setting is a smoke environment.”
And speaking of a good environment, as part of today’s health fair –the
City Council officially cut the ribbon to a renovated and rehabilitated Fred
Westby Park on Albert Street West.
The park was renovated by the Belize City Council with assistance from
Southside Meats, Barrow and Williams law Firm, the Ministry of Health and the
Bird’s Isle Restaurant and Bar.
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