UNITED NATIONS – United Nations agencies are reporting soaring cases of cholera globally, with over 667,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths last year.

ROSEAU, Dominica - Health Minister Cassanni Laville has expressed his  “deep concern” at the decision of authorities at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital to “temporarily suspend “elective surgery from Monday.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned about the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in the Region of the Americas, including the Caribbean.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Health authorities have defended the decision to prosecute delinquent property owners noting there has been an increase in dengue cases and rodent sightings on the island.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Guyana is constructing a US$161 million hospital in New Amsterdam that health and other officials say will provide world-class healthcare services to citizens in the East Berbice-Corentyne region.

Editor’s note: This commentary is provided by the Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI) of Florida A&M University.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – In what has been described as remarkable medical feat, a 44-year-old female patient from the Essequibo region, recently underwent a life-saving gynecological surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). 

WASHINGTON, DC – The Director of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) Dr. Jarbas Barbosa has emphasized efforts made by countries of the Americas, including the Caribbean, to recover public health gains lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on the international community to increase taxes on alcohol and sugary sweetened beverages (SSBs). 

DUBAI – The Assistant Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, has urged countries of the Americas to ensure the health impacts of climate change are taken on board as they continue to rebuild and strengthen health  systems in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the World Bank (WB) have launched the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas, a collaboration to boost investment, innovation and implementation of policies and initiatives aimed at transforming health systems in the region with a focus on primary health care.

Dr. Johnny Bernard, a board-certified radiation oncologist based in Palm Coast, Fla., had his doubts about the medical benefits of cannabis. However, his perspective changed when he witnessed its effectiveness in relieving cancer treatment side effects among his patients. Over time, the consistent positive stories from patients turned him from a skeptic to a supporter of medical cannabis.