January 15 - January 21 2014

HCC Feature

Inside a Pap smear By Akilah Holder & Kimlin Harrilal.

Ms. Kimlin Harrilal, Education and Communications Officer at The Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society and HCC Social Media guru, underwent a Pap test and chose to share her experiences during the examination with the public. Ms. Harrilal notes that it is her way of encouraging women to have the yearly test (or every two years) done. “Women should not be ashamed of having this lifesaving procedure done as cervical cancer is highly preventable with regular screening tests and follow-up. It also can be cured when found and treated early” she said.

After demographic information is recorded via a registration form, you are asked to pass urine to facilitate a urinalysis that goes on your file at every visit. The urinalysis checks for albumin, ketones and protein in the urine. This is then followed by your blood pressure being taken in the nurses’ room. The nurse talks Ms. Harrilal through every step of the procedure and shows her the instruments that will be used. These important pieces of information ensure women know exactly what they are in for. The examination was carried out at the Society’s clinic where Pap smears are offered at a subsidized price.

The interview was tape recorded and the examination took no longer than five minutes. Read the transcript of the examination here

Every year, approximately 31,700 women in Latin America and the Caribbean die from cervical cancer. The Caribbean is among the top four highest sub-regions in the world with respect to incidence of cervical cancer and has the highest burden of HPV (human papilloma virus) in the Americas. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among Caribbean women. Among those women diagnosed with cervical cancer, 50% of these women have never had a Pap test.

The Society is located at 62, Rosalino Street in Woodbrook. Appointments for Pap smears can be made by simply calling toll free 800-TTCS (8827). Visit their website www.ttcancersociety.org

News Roundup

ADVOCATING FOR POLICIES AND ACTION Meeting Report

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) having concluded another highly successful meeting on NCDs for regional stakeholders, is happy to make a report of the meeting available to conference delegates, members and supporters of the HCC and other civil society partners nationally, regionally and globally engaged in tackling NCDs.The meeting was held in Port of Spain, 22nd November 2013 in support of “Strengthening Health Systems, Supporting NCD action Advocating for Policies and Action” Download the report here

Please share any activities you have planned for the month that you would like us to highlight. We would appreciate a short paragraph summarising your planned activities including your partners and promotional materials.

Call For Abstracts - 2014 NCD Child Conference - DEADLINE JANUARY 31st

NCD Child invites submissions of abstracts to be presented at the 2014 NCD Child Conference. There will be two categories for submission - Abstracts for the Young Health Scholarships 2014 (for those 24 and under) and Abstracts for publication within the Conference Program. Read more

Caribbean Cardiac Society - Charles Denbow Young Clinician Award Applications Open - The 2014 Charles Denbow Young Clinician Award will be presented by the Caribbean Cardiac Society (CCS) in recognition of the importance of developing clinical acumen and inductive analytical skills in the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular patients. Entries close on Friday March 28, 2014. Read More

Cancer Surveillance for the Caribbean Webinar Series - February 19, 2014, The State of Cancer Registration in the Caribbean: Outlook for the Future. This webinar will only support 150 connections. Due to a limited number of connections (150 connections), we are requesting that all parties register for the webinar. Find out more and egister for the webinar here

The Health Consequences of Smoking - 50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014

• Executive Summary Read more
• Full Report Read more
• Consumer Booklet Read more
• Order Documents Read more
• Fact Sheets Read more
• Video and Podcast Series Read more
• Partner Resources Read more

National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention News - Member Spotlight: New York City Health Department, Tools to Support State and Local Community Tobacco Control Policies, State School Health Policy Matrix, ASTHO’s Million Hearts® e-Newsletter, Partners in Prevention: How “Non-Health” State Agencies Are Advancing Public Health in Massachusetts and more. Read more

Using humour to inspire social change - NCDs are, of course, very serious issues. However at NCDFREE, we believe that by creating a positive conversation we can motivate and engage people, rather than disillusion them. Humour can be an effective way to make people think, reflect and act. Some of the best health campaigns in the past have used humour to get their message across and to inspire people to get onboard.Read more

Explaining the increase in coronary heart disease mortality in Syria between 1996 and 2006 - Research Article from NMC Public Health. Background: Despite advances made in treating coronary heart disease (CHD), mortality due to CHD in Syria has been increasing for the past two decades. This study aims to assess CHD mortality trends in Syria between 1996 and 2006 and to investigate the main factors associated with them. Read more

Explaining the Decrease in U.S. Deaths from Coronary Disease, 1980–2000 Special article taken from The New England Journal of Medicine. Background: Mortality from coronary heart disease in the United States has decreased substantially in recent decades. We conducted a study to determine how much of this decrease could be explained by the use of medical and surgical treatments as opposed to changes in cardiovascular risk factors. Read more

NCD Articles on WebMD

• DASH Diet for Heart Health - This plan is designed to help lower cholesterol and BP, you’ll have lots of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products while cutting back on fats, cholesterol, and sweets.Read more
• Early Signs of an Asthma Attack - Unexplained exhaustion can be a sign that an asthma attack is on its way. Learn other subtle ways your body tries to warn you. Read more
• Warning Signs of Pancreatic Cancer - It's a leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women. But there are promising new drugs for those diagnosed today. Read more
• What Causes Blood Sugar Swings - 20 reasons for blood sugar swings. Read more

HCC News Roundup Archive - If you have missed any of our News Roundups you can view previous Roundups on our News Roundup Archive webpage here

HCC Featured - Previously featured Members, events and news can now be found on our HCC Featured webpage here

Healthy Caribbean Coalition