The Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society Launches Thrift Store for 45th Anniversary

By Kristy Seelall - Chairman emeritus, Dr. George Laquis, and new patroness Mrs. Zalayhar Hassanali conducted the ceremonial opening of the Society’s first thrift shop, “Twice Upon a Time” last Tuesday, 24 June. Located at 101 Eastern Main Road Laventille, the thrift shop is another vision of Dr. Laquis who has sought various avenues to continuously fund and improve the Society’s diagnostic capabilities as a Non- Governmental Organization. Read more.

Visit the Twice Upon a Time Thrift Store Facebook Page here.

Caribbean Grant Writing & Scientific Peer Review Workshop

September 17 - 19, 2014 St.George's University, Grenada, West Indies, Registration is now open!!! The Center for Global Health of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S., in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), St. George's University (SGU), and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) will hold a Caribbean regional grant writing workshop to encourage Caribbean investigators to address public health issues through research. The workshop will be held in St. George's Grenada on September 17 - 19, 2014. Read more

Men in Heels continues to raise prostate cancer awareness

Imagine men in high heel shoes running and jumping through various obstacles to raise cancer awareness. For a second year in a row The Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society (TTCS) teamed up with Hott 93fm for Men in Heels 2. There was a twist this year as the race included a fun filled yet challenging obstacle course for yet another chance to bolt away with $10, 000. Read more

You can catch the highlights of the race here

Please Save the Date

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) requests that you save the date for a Side Event in the margins of the UN High Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs). The experiences of cervical cancer prevention and control in the Caribbean and globally will be used to showcase mechanisms for multisectoral action in the response to NCDs. Thursday, 10 July 2014, Light Lunch 1:15 - 2:45pm, Conference Room 7, Upstairs North Lawn Building. UN Headquarters. Contact Gabrielle.Krasowski@dfat.gov.au for more information

UN Civil Society Hearing on NCDs

On Thursday 19 June, the President of the General Assembly hosted an informal interactive hearing for civil society to discuss the successes and gaps in progress since 2011, and to identify priorities for NCDs going forward. Outcomes of the discussion will serve as input into the upcoming UN High-Level Review on NCDs (10-11 July 2014), including for the outcome document. Read more

WHO: Daily sugar intake 'should be halved'
People will be advised to halve the amount of sugar in their diet, under new World Health Organization guidance.The recommended sugar intake will stay at below 10% of total calorie intake a day, with 5% the target, says the WHO. The suggested limits apply to all sugars added to food, as well as sugar naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates. Read more

Alcohol and CVD: The Tippling Point
Medscape - Tricia Ward, June 19, 2014. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. If you don't drink, don't start.So says the current advice of the American Heart Association in relation to alcohol and prevention of cardiovascular disease. When it comes to the purported cardioprotective benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, the scientific world is divided into believers and skeptics and there are abundant data to support both points of view. Read more

Global disease burden and funding – explaining the disparities

NCDs are now the leading global cause of death and disability, including in developing countries, as I explored in a recent report by ACFID. This new IHME study shows these diseases receive only a tiny amount of funding when compared with their burden. In 2011, $7.7 billion was allocated to HIV/AIDS projects, while malaria, TB, and maternal, newborn and child health received $1.8 billion, $1.3 billion, and $6.1 billion respectively. NCDs received only 1.5% of all health aid. Read more

Ban new smokers, call from BMA conference

Smoking should be banned for anyone born in the UK in the 21st Century, doctors say. Delegates at the British Medical Association (BMA) annual conference voted in favour of a motion to prohibit smoking to anyone born after 2000. The BMA is now expected to start lobbying government to agree to the move. Read more

NCD Articles on WebMD

• What Do You Know About Stroke? - Is it possible to have a stroke and not even know it? Find out that answer and much more about strokes. Read more
• 12 Surprising Sources of Sugar - You may be surprised how much sugar is hiding in your favorite foods, like oatmeal, pasta sauce, and cereal. Read more
• Easy Exercise Tips to Lower Your BP - Exercise is an important part of managing blood pressure. It doesn’t have to be hard to be beneficial. Read more
• Never Ignore These Diabetes Symptoms - Excessive thirst and other signs may be warnings that your blood sugar is too low or too high. 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