Nevis, West Indies. ?A Non-Tourist-Trap? Blog About Nevis.

UNESCO Sponsored Workshop About Autism

Charlestown, Nevis
January 27, 2012

Autism was the focus of a two-day workshop for a mixed group of 30 Preschool and Special Education Teachers, Day Care Supervisors and Nurses on St. Kitts and Nevis which concluded at the Department of Education on Nevis on January 26, 2012. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Education on St. Kitts, with funding from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Participants were exposed to a range of issues related to Autism but most importantly were taught to recognise children with autism at an early age.

During the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Principal at the Special Education Unit on Nevis Mrs. Violet Clarke said the workshop was part of a project which sought to develop an early intervention centre in St. Kitts for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disorders.

“The centre will be set up as a demonstration environment to provide training for parents, nurses, preschool providers and teachers. Children will have the opportunity to be screened and receive intervention programmes designed by a multi professional team,” she explained.

Finding and treating very young children through programmes specifically designed by specialist teachers, nurses, therapists, counsellors and early child care givers will be the basic goal of the project.

“The main thrust of an early intervention programme for children with Autism is the development of social and communication skills supported by occupational and speech therapy. These programmes can provide increased hope for both parents and children.

“Demonstrating the success of these programmes to parents and early child care providers is an essential aspect of this project. Parental understanding and participation can determine the success of these programmes which is why the project seeks to empower parents to help their own child,” she said.

Mrs. Clarke further stated that a fundamental feature of the project was its ability to pull together Ministry Departments and encourage them to think and operate in a collaborative way.  It also strengthened systems of communication between departments, pooled expertise and maximized limited resources through the creation of a multi-professional team.

She said each member of the team would be able to see the child and the challenges they faced from their own unique vantage point, discuss it with others and collaboratively design programmes tailor-made for each child.

According to Mrs. Clarke, Autism affected 1 in 150 children and was characterised by difficulties in language, communication skills and the ability to relate to others. It was also shown to have a strong hereditary factor which meant that children with siblings with the disorder were at higher risk of developing the disorder themselves.

She expressed that children with Autism had experienced great difficulty with the education system on St. Kitts and Nevis.

“They have no obvious physical disabilities yet display emotional and behavioural challenges many teachers find difficult to understand. Their behaviour can be viewed as disruptive and disobedient resulting in these children being left out of the learning experience.

“Their abilities can be so diverse that children can range from being mentally challenged to gifted, from non verbal to articulate with many specific behaviours in between. This project recognises the complexity of this group of children and seeks to increase their educational opportunities by teaching proven intervention techniques to those who come into contact with them,” Mrs. Clarke explained.

Children with (ASD) and other related developmental disorders were a growing concern within the Federation, the Special Education Unit Head noted but pointed out that early intervention was a well documented advantage.

“The National Institute of Mental Health has reported that many children with Autism Spectrum Disorders can be diagnosed soon after their first birthday. Others with the disorder may appear to develop normally until that age and then falter or regress during their second year.

“Early screening is a critical step in assisting children with Autism. Time is of the essence for these children and clinical studies have proven that the earlier the diagnosis is made, the greater the potential for successful intervention and effective behavioural adjustment,” she said.

Other remarks came from Education Officer for Special Education Ministry of Education St. Kitts Ms. Clarice Cotton and Dr. Lucy Liddie UNESCO Consultant for the project.

Other presenters for the workshop were Ms. June Wallace, Ms. Judy Gumbs, Ms J. Claxton-Richardson and Ms. Charmaine Blanchette.

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Aedes Aegypti Mosquito – Dengue Carrier

Charlestown, Nevis
November 09, 2011

Facilitator of a three-day workshop on Integrated Vector Management in St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. Samuel C. Rawlins PhD, told Public Health Workers from Nevis and St. Kitts, that Dengue Fever was cause for concern to everyone in the Federation, since the moisquito which carried the illness was present in the Tropics including the Caribbean, where tourism was the mainstay of many islands.

His advice came when he delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) sponsored Workshop at the Llewelyn Newton Disaster Management’s Conference Room, at Long Point on Monday. He noted that the illness affected every member of the community therefore, it was important to fight the vector which was present in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“I live in Trinidad some of the time and we have already had quite a few deaths due to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, that is the severe dengue, especially in young children…We live here and wwe have to stay and try to fight it, since most of the industry in Nevis and St. Kitts is geared on the hospitality industry, that is tourism,” he said.

Dr. Rawlins, an emeritus Scientist with the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre and the Pan American Health Organization and a member of the  Joint Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Noble Peace Prize Laureate, 2007, said visitors selected the places they chose to visit where they were confident they would not get ill. Thus, it was vital for the environment in St. Kitts and Nevis to be above board and well known for little or no transmission taking place there.

Notwithstanding, Dr. Rawlins stated that the islands should also be prepared against other vector borne diseases, some of which were imported and known to be present on St. Kitts and Nevis.

“We know there are two potential vectors on the island of Nevis and we understand that there is at least one or two in St. Kitts. So we need to be aware of this.

“I have worked throughout the Caribbean and I have seen in countries like the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas where people are moving around and some of them come from Malaria endemic countries. When they come in they are not going to report to you that I got fever, headache and all the symptoms which are suggestive of Maleria, especially if they come in illegally…As a result they remain as a resevoir in the ccommunity and then the vectors which transmit Malaria come and bite them and then transmit it to the othere people because we have the vectors here,” he said.

During the workshop which concludes on Wednesday, participants would be given the chance to modify and make changes to a Manuel on Integrated Vector Management in the Eastern Caribbean compiled by Dr. Samuel, to meet the specific needs of the Federation.

The Manual which was compiled following a series of consultations on behalf of PAHO and the Ministries of Health of East Caribbean Member States, had already been examined in Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Antigua  ahead of St. Kitts and Nevis and tailored to the needs of each.

“Initially I am going to introduce the manual. We hope that after these discussions we get the new manual we make the modifications and then each person will his or her own copy. We will have copies here for new staff who are coming on for training, so that is going to be important,” he said.

The Manual is made up of seven modules among them Moisquito Vectors and Moisquito-borne Diseases of importance in  the Eastern Caribbean; Integrated Vector Management (Control) Measures and their Application to Dengue Fever Vectors and other Common Vectors in the Eastern Caribbean Countries;Work of Vector Control Operators; Discipline/Work Etiquette and Other Selected Athropods and Resevoirs of Public Health Importance.

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St. Kitts – Nevis PM – Denzil Douglas
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
August 10, 2011 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has welcomed Thursday’s meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad between insurance industry and health care professionals to discuss how to create the benefit routinely denied to People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Caribbean – heaalth insurance.

“It is another step to remove the stigma meted out to persons living with this disease,” said Dr. Douglas, Chairman of the Caribbean Community and Prime Minister with responsibility for HIV/AIDS.

The insurance and health forum is aimed at building partnerships between the industry and the public health sectors and is being organised by a coalition of business and health figures.

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Insurance Association of the Caribbean (IAC) and the Pan Caribbean Business Coalition (PCBC) have organised the forum, with support from the United States aid agency, USAID.

The forum’s objective is to “build public-private partnerships across the Pan Caribbean Region between the insurance and health sector to enhance access to treatment by people living with HIV (PLHIV) and reduce the stigma discrimination associated with the disease,” according to a USAID statement.

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has applied to the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS to finance a proposed health insurance scheme for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Eastern Caribbean.

USAID said it would help the OECS revise its Global Fund application.

The forum is expected to explore a regional health insurance pool. With tiny populations, the risk pools for Caribbean countries makes health insurance an elusive goal in the Eastern Caribbean, and is non-existent for HIV/AIDS sufferers.

“Over the past few years the concept of regional health insurance has gained increasing visibility in policy discussions among CARICOM members, and the idea was explicitly recommended in the joint PAHO/CARICOM 2006 Report,” USAID said.

With the advent of economic union in the OECS and the CARICOM single market offering job opportunities and increased mobility for Eastern Caribbean, health insurance is becoming more attractive.

Wednesday’s meeting will seek consensus on how to provide insurance products to people living with virus and obtain commitments from the partners for the plan.

Participants to the forum include representatives from the regional Ministries of Health, the private insurance sector and members of the PANCAP network. Pointing to its likely role in the process, USAID stressed that “external support” would be needed to boost health insurance programmes for the poorest and most vulnerable, including people living with HIV/AIDS.

“Activities will include participation in pertinent national and regional discussions and targetted technical assistance to ensure private sector representation in discussions on health insurance,” the American aid agency said.

The Barack Obama administration has been focussing efforts on strengthen heath systems through proving technical assistance in health insurance, including HIV/AIDS benefits either at a national level or as part of a regional health insurance system, USAID said.

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