Cancer on the rise in Dominica

ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) – Dominica is seeking assistance from the International Atomic Agency in helping it determine the cause of an increase in the number of cancer cases on the island.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr David Johnson, said the island is a member of the international organization and “they have a programme organized for other countries and we have made a request and hopefully in 2014 we will be embarking on developing a comprehensive cancer prevention programme”.
He said climate change and its effects on the health of the population would also be a major issue for health authorities in the new year.
“Climate change is another big issue for us, you have seen what is happening, the effects of climate change in terms of our infrastructure but there are also significant effects with regards to climate change on health.”
He said these effects relate to the spread of disease including dengue fever “and certain respiratory illnesses.
“In 2014 that is something we will be focusing on and we are working very closely with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) based in Geneva and we have made some contacts with that organization …and looking at benefitting in terms of some of the assistance available in improving or mitigating the effects of climate change on health as it relates to those diseases, dengue leptospirosis and viral disease,” he added.