scholarly journals HIV Infection in the Caribbean

1994 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
V W Wheeler ◽  
K W Radcliffe

The Caribbean is a multi-ethnic region with many different cultural differences. The majority of the population is of African descent, but there are also other ethnic groups present such as Indians, Chinese, Syrians and Europeans. The Caribbean region is influenced by countries such as the USA, Great Britain, France and Holland. The countries of the Caribbean have a serious problem with HIV infection and AIDS. The epidemiology of HIV infection in this region, is different from most other parts of the world in that the mode of spread does not easily fit into any of the three WHO patterns. This review shows that the infection initially started in the homosexual/bisexual community, but since then, it has moved to the heterosexual population and this form of contact is now the main mode of transmission of the virus. The Governments of the Caribbean countries have realized the extent of the problem and have taken measures to try to control the epidemic.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Yeon Hee Kim ◽  
Julia Ledien ◽  
Eliana Rodriguez-Monguí ◽  
Andy Dobson ◽  
María-Gloria Basáñez ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundScreening for Trypanosoma cruzi among blood and organ donors is essential to reduce Chagas disease transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) has prioritised curtailing transmission in blood banks (BBs) and transplantation centres (TCs) by 50% by 2025 and 100% by 2030. This study aims to update the situation on T. cruzi screening strategies in BBs and TCs to evaluate the evolution of seroprevalence and the achievement of screening milestones globally.MethodsWe used published articles and government reports on seroprevalence data and screening policies in BBs and TCs across the world. We conducted meta-analyses of T. cruzi seroprevalence estimates by who region, endemicity status, and country, and used meta-regression to identify the covariates influencing the estimates. Publication bias and sensitivity analyses were also conducted.ResultsBased on 99 studies and reports and found a global pattern of increased universal screening policies (USPs) in BBs from 1990 to 2018. We found information for 50 countries, of which 44 (88%) have implemented USPs and 21 (42%) achieved 100% coverage by 2015. Out of the 21 Chagas-disease endemic countries, 20 are in advanced USPS stages, and 18 achieved 100% coverage by 2015. Latin America (LA) was the first region to start USPS since the 1990s and 19 countries are in advanced stages of implementation and by 2015 there is evidence of 100% coverage in 15 LA countries. In the Caribbean Region, USPs are still in early implementation stages and by 2015 only five out of 24 countries have achieved 100% coverage. Outside Latin America and the Caribbean, there are USPs only in the USA, which initiated in 2007 and with 100% coverage in 2016. In Europe, there are no USPs, but some countries have implemented selective screening of at-risk donors in the UK, Spain, France and Switzerland. Whereas Sweden and Italy have implemented a deferral system. For TCs, national guidelines have been produced in some European countries since the 2000s; in the USA, USPs started since 2002, but 100% coverage is yet to be achieved. There is a global decrease in T. cruzi seroprevalence among blood donors from the 1970s to 2010s, particularly in endemic countries, where the T. cruzi pooled seroprevalence decreased from 2.42% (95% CI 0.75%-7.53%) in the 1970s to 0.38% (95% CI 0.30%-0.60%) in the 2010s. Seroprevalence in non-endemic countries has remained relatively stable between 1990s and 2010s around 0.01% (95% CI 0.01%-0.03%). Country and decade were identified as the two major predictors of seroprevalence in BBs. Data on TCs was scarce.InterpretationDespite global progress in T. cruzi screening policies, both USPs and 100% coverage are yet to be achieved. Seroprevalence in BBs have decreased in endemic countries, likely due to a combination of vector control, increased USPs and voluntary donation, and improved diagnosis. To achieve the proposed WHO goals by 2025 and 2030, USPs in TCs must become available in all endemic countries. In BBs, USPs should be a priority in the Caribbean region as well as non-endemic countries where migration from endemic countries is important.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheree-Ann Adams

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunities and approaches needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of cruise companies as a source of employment for Caribbean nationals. Design/methodology/approach The format is one of a concept paper and not a review of primary data collected, but based on the authors observations, industry knowledge and review of secondary literature available in the public domain. Findings Some recommendations are made as to the facilitation of this concept in sustainable cruise employment for the Caribbean region that will provide not only economic sustainability but also social benefits to the Caribbean region at large through poverty reduction through employment and global travel exposure. Practical implications The paper puts forth a proposal for a centralized organization representative of the multiple stakeholders within the Caribbean Cruise community: to manage and facilitate a fund to assist Caribbean nationals desirous of working on cruise ships and to meet the necessary standards of training not only in hospitality qualifications but also in basic training standards of safety, security and watch keeping for seafarers. Social implications The employment opportunities for Caribbean persons on cruise ships have not been fully exploited with the majority of Caribbean nationals working on cruise ships found predominately within the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Carnival Corporation brands based in the USA. Originality/value This paper provides readers with insight into the existing Caribbean employment and shipboard employment scenarios, with the view of presenting an option for stimulating and supporting sustainable employment on cruise ships for Caribbean nationals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 108-115
Author(s):  
А.B. Zimenkovsky ◽  
◽  
T.G. Gutor ◽  

Aim - the search, analysis and systematization of historical facts concerning the formation and evo-lution of the world medical standartization; severance of its certain long-standing models for the optimization of settling and introduction of the existing, and future analogs, particularly, in the clinical audit format. Material and Methods. In order to study the medical standard as a historical component the fol-lowing methods were used: bibliographic, historical, analytical and methods of systematization and comparison. Results and Discussion. As a result of the conducted research the main historical events in the world development of the medical standartization starting from 1500 up till nowadays were col-lected. In order to study the evolution of the medical standartization, the analysis of the normative documents that have regulated the process of standartization, especially the Doctor's statute(s) in Russia, Minimal standard of the medical equipment and works of the American college of surgeons, was carried out. The scientific works that initiated the introduction of the clinical audit in the Health Care system in Ukraine, Turkey, the USA and Great Britain were throroughly analyzed. Conclusions. The improvement of quality as to rendering the medical aid is a job priority in the health care systems in many countries. For that reason, the search for its optimization was and is still retrieved for many centuries. The territorial formation of medical standartization is associated with England, Russia and the USA, but the occurrence of clinical audit is connected with Ukraine, Turkey, the USA and Great Britain. The foundations of the medical standardization was lauched in 1500 year, while the clinical audit - in 1854 year. The medical standartization is a reflection of the history of development of the organization of health care system, that's why the expertness (knowl-edge) of historical stages concerning the setting and the introduction of medical standartization may give a new impulse in its improvement and development under present-day conditions of reforma-tion in the medical sphere in Ukraine. The earlier beginning of implementation of the medical stan-dartization in the health care system in different countries makes it possible to actualize its introduc-tion into the clinical audit format, that, in its turn, allows to improve the quality of rendering the medical aid. Key words: medical standartization, clinical audit, quality of medical aid


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24
Author(s):  
Vaskrsija Janjić

Many plants cause dermatosis in the human population, thus presenting an everyday problem for dermatologists and allergologists around the world. To this day it is still not known how common are plant-induced dermatosis. It is estimated that around 334 million people worldwide, or 3.5% of the world population, is affected by dermatosis each year. The onset of dermatitis is most common in the early childhood. Around 20% of children in Great Britain and 10% in the USA are affected by different types of dermatosis. It is believed that around 10,000 plant species can cause dermatosis in humans. Phytodermatosis are dermatosis caused by plants. They are usually induced by direct contact with a plant, but can also occur without a direct contact or be activated by the sun. Dermatosis which occur without a direct contact with the plant are observed in those cases where certain perfumes, cremes or other cosmetic products are used. Some cosmetic products contain substances such as eugenol, isoeugenol, cinnamaldehyde, colophonium, turpentines and other substances which originate from plants. Similarly, lichens, which are not plants, but organisms resulting from a fungi and algae symbiosis, produce usnic acids, which are most commonly used in sun protection products.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (256) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Vargas ◽  
Daniela Hess

Using data from 1980-2017, this paper estimates a Global VAR (GVAR) model taylored for the Caribbean region which includes its major trading partners, representing altogether around 60 percent of the global economy. We provide stilyzed facts of the main interrelations between the Caribbean region and the rest of the world, and then we quantify the impact of external shocks on Caribbean countries through the application of two case studies: i) a change in the international price of oil, and ii) an increase in the U.S. GDP. We confirmed that Caribbean countries are highly exposed to external factors, and that a fall in oil prices and an increase in the U.S. GDP have a positive and large impact on most of them after controlling for financial variables, exchange rate fluctuations and overall price changes. The results from the model help to disentangle effects from various channels that interact at the same time, such as flows of tourists, trade of goods, and changes in economic conditions in the largest economies of the globe.


Author(s):  
William Ghosh

V.S. Naipaul is one of the most internationally acclaimed twentieth-century writers from the Caribbean region. Yet it is usually assumed that he was neither much influenced by the Caribbean literary and intellectual tradition, nor very influential upon it. This chapter argues that these assumptions are wrong. It situates Naipaul’s life and work within the political, social, and intellectual history of the twentieth-century Caribbean. Naipaul’s work formed part of a larger historical debate about the sociology of slavery in the Caribbean, the specificity of Caribbean colonial experience, and the influence of that historical past on Caribbean life, culture, and politics after independence. The chapter closes with a reading of Naipaul’s late, retrospective book about Trinidad, A Way in the World.


Author(s):  
Сергей Гарагуля ◽  
Sergey Garagulya

The dictionary is built on the principles of cultural linguistics, is a collection of culturally significant place names of great Britain and the USA included in the background knowledge of native speakers of British and American linguistic cultures, and are part of their linguistic picture of the world. It aims to reveal the contents of this toponymic vocabulary. It is addressed to students and postgraduates of philological specialties, teachers of universities and colleges, as well as a wide range of readers interested in English and onomastics


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 67-87
Author(s):  
Francisco Lizcano Fernández

Short description: This article is dedicated to the demographic levels and distribution of Central American ethnic groups: indigenous, mestizos, mulattos, creoles, garifunas and Asians. The study includes 7 countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Emphasis is placed on the Caribbean region of these countries, where ethnic diversity is the greatest. Short description translated and adapted from the text by Michał Gilewski


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (35) ◽  
pp. 167-183
Author(s):  
Łukasz SUŁKOWSKI ◽  
Robert SELIGA ◽  
Piotr BUŁA ◽  
Katarzyna KOLASIŃSKA-MORAWSKA

The professionalization of university management takes place in many countries and is part of the transformation of the higher education sector. Professionalization of university management in the USA, Great Britain, many EU countries and other parts of the world includes the implementation of the concept of strategic management of public and private universities, as well as strengthening and improving the administration and professional development of managers in the higher education sector. The adoption of Law 2.0 creates an organizational space for the introduction of various management solutions. The basis of organizational changes is the increase in competition, diversity of the university's mission and internationalization. It can be argued that greater freedom in the application of various organizational solutions and increased competition will favor the professionalization of management. Numerous strategic, structural and managerial solutions will be tested at universities and adjusted to their needs.


Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (12) ◽  
pp. 765
Author(s):  
Cristian Jianu ◽  
Sorana D. Bolboacă ◽  
Adriana Violeta Topan ◽  
Irina Filipescu ◽  
Mihaela Elena Jianu ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: In Romania, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic is almost the same as it is in Central Europe, with some differences; particularity the following one: people with nosocomial HIV infection, also known as Romanian cohort. Aim: The study aimed to present a local view of HIV infection in the North-West part of Romania, and to identify the particularities of patients under medical care in the Cluj AIDS Center. Materials and Methods: The demographic characteristics (age and gender), and medical and epidemiological data (stage of HIV infection and mode of transmission) of patients in a medical care in the Cluj Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Center were evaluated. Data from the first patients admitted between 1989 and 2018, and the statuses of the infected persons as per 31 December 2018 were analyzed. Results: Nine hundred and fourteen patients were included in the study. The patients’ ages varied from 0 (newborns from HIV-infected mothers) to 72 years old, and most patients were men (596 men vs. 318 women). The main mode of transmission was sexual (>50%), with an increased number of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the last years (from two cases in 2006 to thirty-four cases in 2018), and a very small percentage of intravenous drug users (IDU; <1%). The patients from the Romanian cohort were more frequently women as compared with men (p-value <0.0001), women were more frequently later presenters than men (p-value <0.0001), and the women more frequently had candidosis (p-value = 0.0372), cerebral toxoplasmosis (p-value = 0.0404), and co-infection with hepatitis B virus (p-value = 0.0018). One hundred and sixty patients died by the end of 2018 (17.5%). Sixty-eight children had been born from HIV-infected mothers, and 17 were HIV infected (25%). Conclusion: The main mode of HIV transmission in our sample was sexual, with an increased number of MSM over the last years and a low number of cases of intravenous drug users. A quarter of children borne from HIV-infected mothers were HIV infected.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document