Immunize your children - CMO warns

Saturday, January 31, 2015 | 10:25 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Chief Medical Officer, Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse is reminding persons that immunization for children against certain vaccine preventable diseases including measles is offered at no cost at government health centres.

Dr DuCasse is therefore urging parents who have not yet fully immunized their children for their age to do so immediately especially in light of the measles outbreak presently affecting several states in the United States of America and Mexico.

Compulsory immunization for children begins at birth and continues until 6 years old with the schedule as follows:

Birth to 6 weeks: BCG (Tuberculosis)

6 weeks: 1st OPV (Polio); 1st DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis or Whooping Cough, Tetanus) / Hep B (Hepatitis B) / HIB (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B)

3 months: 2nd OPV; 2nd DPT/Hep B/ HIB

6 months: 3rd OPV; 3rd DPT/Hep B / HIB

12 months: 1st MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)

18 months: 1st Booster DPT; 1st Booster OPV; 2nd MMR – for children born July 2013 and after

4-6 years: 2nd Booster DPT; 2nd Booster OPV, 2 nd MMR – for children born before July 2013

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Immunize your children - CMO warns

Facebook launches Amber Alerts in the US to help find missing children

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 | 8:58 AM    

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook users in the US will soon receive Amber Alerts to help find missing children who may be located near them.

Facebook Inc is working with the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to send the alerts to users’ mobile phones if they are in a search area where a child has been abducted. Facebook says people are already using its site to encourage their friends and family to help find missing children, and that several children have been reunited with their families as a result of information shared on the site.

Last March, a missing 11-year-old girl was found in a South Carolina motel room when a motel clerk called police after seeing an Amber Alert on Facebook, according to the company and reports at the time.

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Facebook launches Amber Alerts in the US to help find missing children

Cops in Trinidad shoot armed man terrorising children

Sunday, September 28, 2014 | 10:19 AM    

LA BREA (Trinidad Express) – A man who threatened to hurt a group of children playing on the roadway was shot twice by police on Saturday.

The 30-year-old man was seen chasing the children with a pair of scissors and a knife along Cemetery Street, La Brea, around 1 p.m.

Residents contacted the La Brea Police Station and Corporal Darrel Blackman and Constable Khan responded to the report.

Police said the officers ordered the suspect to drop the weapons, but he refused. The man charged at the officers with the knife, threatening to stab them.

Blackman shot the suspect in the left leg. But the enraged man did not stop, police said.

Investigators said the suspect continued running towards the officers and he was shot in the stomach.

The man was relieved of his weapons and taken to the Point Fortin District Hospital.

He was then transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital in critical condition.

La Brea police are continuing investigations.

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Cops in Trinidad shoot armed man terrorising children

Woman who neglected children remanded

A St Catherine woman who left her four children unprotected for days, plead guilty to four counts of negligence in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Angella Foster of Point Hill district, St Catherine, is charged with negligence.

When the matter was called up before Resident Magistrate Anmarie Nembhard on September 25, Foster pleaded guilty.

The RM expressed concerns about the accused’s conduct, as she failed to account for two of the victims.

She was subsequently ordered remanded in custody until October 16, when she is to be sentenced.

Allegations are that in March last year, she left her four underage children at home without care and protection.

The police was alerted, and an investigation launched by Detective Corporal Krishna Walker.

She was subsequently charged with negligence.

- R.T.

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Woman who neglected children remanded

Parents claim ... children sleeping on floor at hospital - Chik-V fear causes overcrowding

Chad Bryan/Diandra Grandison, STAR Reporters

The Bustamante Hospital for Children is experiencing an overcrowding issue as parents have been flooding the institution due to fears that their children are infected with the Chikungunya Virus.

On Sunday, THE STAR visited the island’s only children’s hospital and parents expressed that after their kids were admitted, there was no place available for them to lay their heads and they could not leave the hospital without being cleared by the administration.

One man, who had his daughter in his hand, said he was forced to construct a makeshift bed from plyboard and sheet with a mosquito net covering it. He said he came to the hospital on Saturday and by Sunday there was nowhere to put his daughter.

shortage of nurses

“I’ve been here from 10 a.m., Saturday,” he said, “Why not just let me take the child and leave? They say I can’t go through the gate without a release form.”

THE STAR was also informed yesterday by another parent that she has been at the hospital since Sunday, and she along with her child have been sleeping on the floor due to the lack of beds. She also revealed that there was a shortage of nurses at the hospital and parents were being forced to take over some of their duties.

Parents also told THE STAR that children at the hospital were exhibiting symptoms that appeared to be consistent with the Chikungunya Virus (Chik-V). However, one of the parents told THE STAR that the hospital was conducting blood tests in order to determine if it was actually the mosquito-transmitted virus.

When contacted, Public Relations Officer at the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), Taneisha Lewis, confirmed that the hospital has been experiencing overcrowding. However, she could not comment on whether the symptoms the children exhibited were due to the Chik-V.

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Parents claim ... children sleeping on floor at hospital - Chik-V fear causes overcrowding

Three held in connection with fire that killed children

Three men have been taken into custody for questioning in relation to Friday’s fire in the western parish of Westmoreland which three children died.

The police say the men who are from the community. were detained on the weekend.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of  the fire which claimed the lives of  14 year old Britney Bowen, 10 year old Beyonce Leslie and 7 year old Xavier Mckenzie.

They were left at home by the mother of  the 14 year old.

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Three held in connection with fire that killed children

Police making headway into double murder of Trelwany children

The Trelawny Police are reporting that they have made headway in the probe into the murder of  two children this week and expect an imminent  breakthrough. One person is in custody in relation to the case and they expect to make another arrest soon.

Ten-year-old Meleeka Mitchell and 12-year-old Omari Sterling, were kidnapped on the weekend and their bodies found on Tuesday. Meleeka’s body was found in bushes with the feet and hands bound, while Omari’s body was found in a pond a few feet away.

Head of  the Trelawny Police Superintendent, Willford Campbell, states that a main suspect has been identified. He has indicated that the father of one of  the children is facing prosecution in the matter as a result of negligence.

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Police making headway into double murder of Trelwany children

Three children killed in Westmoreland fire

Three children were burnt to death in a fire in the western parish of Westmoreland early Friday.

They have been identified as Britney Bowen14, Beyonce Leslie, 10 and Xavier Mckenzie, 7.

The police report that the children  – all siblings, were left at home by the mother of the 14 year old.

Early Friday, Fitz Davis, a neighbour said he was alert by thick smoke coming from the house.

The firefighters were alerted but had difficulty entering the building due to burgular bars.

The bodies of the children were found in a bathtub.

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Three children killed in Westmoreland fire

Invest in Children - says UN representative

Special representative of the UN Secretary General on violence against children, Marta Santos Pais is reminding Jamaica of the benefits of investing in children.       

She was addressing a conference in Kingston on Wednesday to report on a two day UN meeting on violence prevention.

“We have learnt that by investing in the youngest children in our societies, we help develop them in the best way possible, to be successful in school, to have good health and to feel reassured when they are victims of violence or abuse,” she said.

And Youth Minister, Lisa Hanna, noted that communities must play a part in the prevention of violence against children.

“We can check all the boxes we want to check in terms of implementing laws and creating policies but the culture has to change …. You can have as many laws as you’d like to but you will not have the successful feeling of those laws,” she stated.

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Invest in Children - says UN representative

Number of Caribbean children obese and overweight doubles in last decade – study

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Wednesday July 2, 2014, CMC – A study done in four Caribbean countries has found that 30 per cent of children aged 11 to 13 were overweight or obese, a senior official of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has said.

Dr. Audrey Morris, the advisor on Food and Nutrition at PAHO, told a workshop to review and refine a draft policy document on Nutritious and Healthy Foods in Barbadian schools that the number of overweight and obese children in the region has more than doubled over the last decade due primarily to unhealthy diets and inadequate exercise.

Dr. Morris said the consequences of overweight and obesity in children were serious, including breathing difficulties, hypertension, early signs of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.

She noted the easy access to fatty and salty foods in school canteens and revealed that up to 80 per cent of the children in the Caribbean study admitted to drinking a carbonated soda every day. The countries in the study were not disclosed.

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The PAHO official said in addition to drinking carbonated soda daily, children were allowed to easily opt out of physical education classes at school, especially when preparing for examinations. In addition, the children spent many hours watching television and playing computer games at home.

Dr. Morris said countries like the United States had placed limits on sugar, fat and sodium in all foods and beverages sold on school compounds. In addition, Brazil has mandated that 30 per cent of the input in school meals must come from local agriculture, and Panama has banned fried foods and sodas from school premises.

She said what is needed in the Caribbean is a multi-faceted, multi-sectoral approach to reinforce the message of healthier eating and active living.

Senior Medical Officer of Health, here, Dr. Kenneth George, said that while Barbados was not included in the PAHO study, statistics show that the situation was very similar on the island.

According to him, the most recent survey conducted in 2012 and involving 1,600 secondary school students, revealed that 31.9 per cent of students aged 13 to 15 were overweight, and 14.4 per cent obese.

“These are frightening statistics because there is a higher propensity for the obese child to become an obese adult, with all the associated chronic diseases.” The standard Body Mass Index (BMI) for overweight is between 25 and 30 and for obesity between 30 and 40.

Dr. George said the School Meals Programme provided an excellent platform for introducing positive dietary habits and that physical education should be made compulsory at schools.

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Number of Caribbean children obese and overweight doubles in last decade – study

INTERPOL urges Caribbean to maximise tools to fight crimes against children

LYONS, France, CMC — The international Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) is urging the Caribbean and other developing nations to maximise the use of its tools and services to fight crimes against children.

In a recent report, INTERPOL said crimes against children tend to be local crimes, with the vast majority taking place within the home or family circle.

It, however, said there is an international angle, pointing out that the increased use of the Internet which in recent years has led to a huge rise in crimes against children.

“Not only can offenders distribute and access child abuse material more easily, but they can also come into direct contact with children via chatrooms and social networking sites,” the statement said.

INTERPOL said it runs a project in conjunction with Internet Access Service Providers to block access to child abuse material online.

In addition, it said “sex tourism”, involves “the abuse of children in developing countries by people who travel there”.

“The relative wealth of the offender, coupled with lack of understanding or effective legislation, means that the abuse of children is easier in these countries,” said INTERPOL, adding that this type of crime is linked to child trafficking, organised crime and murder.

“These types of crimes represent a huge challenge for police worldwide and require specialised skills and increased resources,” INTERPOL said.

The international police organisation said it provides training and promotes best practices to police in member countries in the Caribbean and other places, stating that it brings together experts in its Specialists Group on Crimes against Children.

Formed in 1992, this group consists of a number of sub-groups dealing with particular issues and chaired by investigators from around the world.

In addition, INTERPOL said it works closely with many other agencies, both governmental and non-governmental, in this area, by facilitating training programmes and other projects worldwide.

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INTERPOL urges Caribbean
to maximise tools to fight
crimes against children

Ohio man admits raping children, killing 2 women

CLEVELAND (AP) — A sex offender accused of killing two women more than 15 years ago and raping children pleaded guilty on Monday to hundreds of charges, crying when some of his surviving victims addressed him.

“I’m not a monster. I feel a lot of remorse,” Elias Acevedo said in the hushed courtroom as some of his child-rape victims, now adults, and relatives of the women watched, some wiping away tears. “I love you all, and God bless you.”Acevedo sobbed into a tissue as three rape victims clutched each other and addressed him in front of the judge: “You robbed me of my childhood,” one victim said. “You hurt so many people.”Acevedo, 49, agreed to plead guilty to 297 counts, including murdering the women and kidnapping and raping children. He accepted a life prison term under the plea deal.The two 20-years-to-life sentences for aggravated murder and sentences for other crimes total 445 years, the judge said.The murder charges involve a Cleveland neighbour, Pamela Pemberton, who was killed in 1994, and 18-year-old Christina Adkins, who was pregnant when she disappeared in 1995.Acevedo also was charged with rape and sexual assault involving attacks on minors, some dating back more than 25 years. He folded his cuffed handed together as Judge Michael Donnelly read the terms of the plea deal and explained it.Acevedo’s case is the latest among a group of high-profile cases involving violence against women in and around Cleveland.Authorities re-examined the disappearances of women in the city following the escape of three women held captive for a decade in the run-down home of Ariel Castro.The prosecutor’s office said Acevedo most recently lived about a block away from Castro, who kidnapped the three women when they were in their teens or early 20s, imprisoned them in his home and raped them repeatedly, fathering a child with one of them.The women escaped on May 6 while Castro was away from the home. Castro killed himself in prison on September 3, just weeks into a life prison sentence.At Monday’s sentencing, FBI agent Andrew Burke said investigators reopening missing-person cases in the area began to focus on Acevedo during the summer based on discrepancies in earlier law enforcement interviews, his sex crime conviction and tips.Acevedo, faced with the mounting evidence, admitted killing the women after authorities agreed to skip the death penalty if he detailed the crimes, Burke said. Acevedo described the killings and pinpointed the locations, all information consistent with details developed by investigators, Burke said.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserverAcevedo pleaded guilty Monday, December 30, in Cleveland to killing two women more than 15 years ago. (Photo:AP)

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Ohio man admits raping children, killing 2 women

Arizona woman accused of trying to poison children

Latest News

Monday, December 30, 2013 | 9:20 AM

CASA GRANDE, Arizona (AP) — An Arizona woman is accused of trying to poison her four children, including one who died, and of stabbing her former husband, all on Christmas.Casa Grande police say 35-year-old Connie Villa was arrested Sunday on suspicion of one count of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder.According to police, the ex-husband called 911 after he was stabbed when he went to Villa’s residence. Officers found the body of 13-year-old Aniarael Macias, while Villa had stab wounds believed to have been self-inflicted.Autopsy and toxicology results are pending on the girl, believed to have been poisoned.The three other children are in good condition and are now with their father’s family. It’s not immediately known whether Villa has an attorney. A possible motive hasn’t been disclosed.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Arizona woman accused of trying to poison children

Arizona woman accused of trying to poison children

News

Monday, December 30, 2013 | 9:20 AM

CASA GRANDE, Arizona (AP) — An Arizona woman is accused of trying to poison her four children, including one who died, and of stabbing her former husband, all on Christmas.Casa Grande police say 35-year-old Connie Villa was arrested Sunday on suspicion of one count of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder.According to police, the ex-husband called 911 after he was stabbed when he went to Villa’s residence. Officers found the body of 13-year-old Aniarael Macias, while Villa had stab wounds believed to have been self-inflicted.Autopsy and toxicology results are pending on the girl, believed to have been poisoned.The three other children are in good condition and are now with their father’s family. It’s not immediately known whether Villa has an attorney. A possible motive hasn’t been disclosed.

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Arizona woman accused of trying to poison children

Hanna: Over 85% of missing children return home

MORE than 85 per cent of children reported missing for the period January to August 23 this year have since returned home, a senior government official has said.

Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna reported that 1,297 of the 1,518 children reported missing over the period have been successfully reunited with their families.Hanna, who was addressing a press briefing held at the Office of the Prime Minister, said that of the total number of missing children, 325 were males and 1,193 were females. Nine children (six males and three females) were found dead and 212 are still missing.“I have mandated the OCR (Office of the Children’s Registry) to devise a successful and reliable system of informing the public of when there is recovery and the return of missing children because still, persons feel that a lot of the children have not been recovered when they actually have and successfully so,” Hanna said.She also urged parents to ensure that they have a recent photograph of their child, and also supply a copy to the school at the start of every academic year, as this will assist in the recovery effort in the event a child goes missing.“If we all assist to create stronger platforms and integration mechanisms to work with the various government agencies, and if something happens to your child, the recovery will be a lot quicker. We are utilising electronic media now and we are utilising billboards,” the youth minister said.She informed that for financial year 2013/14 a sum of $6.7 million has been allocated to the Ananda Alert programme.The OCR has recruited an Ananda Alert officer and has shortlisted persons for the position of Ananda Alert administrator following the approval of new posts by the Cabinet.Hanna noted that three strategies are being proposed to create a more effective public advisory system.“One is safety information to reduce the number of children that go missing; two, instances of missing children that are complete with names, locations, photographs and other pertinent information; and three, the recovery and return of missing children,” she outlined.Meanwhile, Spatial Data Analyst in the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Carey-lee Dixon disclosed that mapping reports show a high concentration of missing children reports from the Waltham Park and Hagley Park Road areas of St Andrew.“These are mostly areas some would consider low income areas and so, utilising geospatial technology, we can provide scientific basis and location,” Dixon said.She also informed that there is a higher number of missing children cases being reported at the Hunt’s Bay police station for both 2012 and 2013.The Ananda Alert is a nationwide system, designed to ensure a speedy and safe recovery of a child in the unfortunate event that he/she is missing or abducted.Under the Ananda Alert System, when a child is reported missing, the name and picture will be publicised on various media, such as television, radio, billboards and multimedia equipment in stores, supermarkets, pharmacies and other locations.HANNA … urged parents to have recent photos of children

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Hanna: Over 85% of missing children return home

PHOTO: Happy children

News

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Two children dash across Patrick Drive in Kingston on Tuesday, while two others walk calmly beside a woman. (PHOTO: KARL MCLARTY)

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PHOTO: Happy children

Free annual tennis camp for children begins tomorrow

Sport

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Former national lawn tennis player Errol Campbell will be in the island conducting a six-day training camp as he continues to give back and develop the sport he loves so much.Campbell, who played, captained and coached the Jamaican team, is currently the senior tennis coach at Midtown Tennis Club in New York, and has been doing this for the last four years.The free training camp begins tomorrow and concludes on Saturday at the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) tennis courts between 10:00 am and 2: 00 pm daily.As an added bonus this year and to round off the six-day camp, there will be an exhibition match on Saturday at 2:00 pm, featuring five former national representatives — and Victor Rutherford, Errol and Peter Campbell and Kenneth Lawson.Errol Campbell, who now lives and works in New York City, started playing tennis and learning his trade by making his own board racquet and playing tennis with his wall.Along with his brothers and a few other children, they got summer jobs as ball boys at the very same UWI tennis courts where they did the honours for the likes of Michael Manley, Eric Bell, Carlyle Dunkley, Barclay Ewart, and Dick Pixley.The beneficiaries of the annual tennis camp are all children from the August Town area, and as Campbell says: “They just show up every year, learn tennis, enjoy themselves and have a ball in the process.”

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Free annual tennis camp for children begins tomorrow

"Uncontrollable behaviour" label to be removed from children before court

Latest News

Tuesday, August 13, 2013 | 1:37 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has approved legislative changes for the removal of the label ‘uncontrollable behaviour’ from children who display extreme behaviour. This will result in judges no longer having the option of sentencing such children to correctional centres.The approval was made at yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting. Along with the removal of the uncontrollable label, Cabinet has also approved the review and development of recommendations for the amendment to the Child Care and Protection Act with an emphasis sections dealing with the circumstances under which a child is deemed in need of care and protection with the power of a parent or guardian to bring a child before the court.In her sectoral presentation in June of this year, Minister of Youth and Culture, Lisa Hanna said that the ‘uncontrollable behaviour’ label would be removed and systems and facilities put in place for the therapeutic treatment of the underlying causes of such behaviour.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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"Uncontrollable behaviour" label to be removed from children before court

"Uncontrollable behaviour" label to be removed from children before court

News

Tuesday, August 13, 2013 | 1:37 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has approved legislative changes for the removal of the label ‘uncontrollable behaviour’ from children who display extreme behaviour. This will result in judges no longer having the option of sentencing such children to correctional centres.The approval was made at yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting. Along with the removal of the uncontrollable label, Cabinet has also approved the review and development of recommendations for the amendment to the Child Care and Protection Act with an emphasis sections dealing with the circumstances under which a child is deemed in need of care and protection with the power of a parent or guardian to bring a child before the court.In her sectoral presentation in June of this year, Minister of Youth and Culture, Lisa Hanna said that the ‘uncontrollable behaviour’ label would be removed and systems and facilities put in place for the therapeutic treatment of the underlying causes of such behaviour.

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"Uncontrollable behaviour" label to be removed from children before court

Snake "strangles Canadian children"

5 August 2013 Last updated at 23:50 ET The boys were staying overnight at a friend’s flat above the pet shop

A snake escaped from a pet shop and killed two children in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, police say.

In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they believed the reptile had strangled two boys, aged five and seven, in Campbellton.

The boys were staying overnight at a friend’s apartment above the pet shop.

Police said they believe the snake slipped out of its cage overnight and travelled through the ventilation. The serpent has been captured by police.

‘Tragedy’

Officers were called to the address on Monday morning where the two boys were found dead, said a police statement. The flat was located above the Reptile Ocean exotic pet store.

“The preliminary investigation has led police to believe that a large exotic snake had escaped its enclosure at the store sometime overnight, and got into the ventilation system, then into the upstairs apartment,” said the statement.

Post-mortem examinations will be performed on the two boys, thought to be brothers, on Tuesday. No charges have been laid so far.

Campbellton’s deputy mayor, Ian Comeau, said the incident was a “tragedy”.

“The city is in shock,” he added.

Experts say attacks by exotic snakes are extremely rare.

David Rogrigue, director of Montreal’s Ecomuseum Zoo, told Agence France-Presse news agency that this attack was “difficult to believe… very, very extraordinary, and very improbable”.

In a Facebook message, Reptile Ocean wrote: “Deepest sympathies goes out to the family of the children. A terrible accident without a meaning.”

The store said it would temporarily suspend its online account because users had posted “demeaning comments”.

Initial reports suggested the reptile may have been a boa constrictor, but officials later said they believed it was an African rock python.

The owner of Reptile Ocean told CTV News that he had had the snake since 2001.

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Snake "strangles Canadian children"