Health News from Cuba,
1998

Cuban News From Havana/Cuban Interests Section
December 18th, 1998/No. 273

Havana-- A Latin American Medical School will be inaugurated next month in Havana -- ready to receive the first 1000 scholarship students from the Central American nations affected by Hurricane Mitch. Cuban construction workers are currently remodeling the country's Naval Academy, which was donated by the Cuban Armed Forces, which will house the new school to be used to prepare the future doctors of those Central American countries. Cuban President Fidel Castro recently reiterated that not only will Cuba send medical brigades to Central American nations affected by Hurricane Mitch, but the island is also willing to receive some five thousand young people from that region over a period of ten years to study medicine on the island

Havana.- South African health authorities expressed to Cuba their interest in vaccine production, in purchasing diagnostic kits, in the upgrading of medical doctors and in an increase in Cuban experts to that country. South African deputy minister, Ayanda Ntsaluba, noted during his talks with Cuban Minister of Health Care Carlos Dotres, that cooperation with Cuba is "solid" and that the work done by Cuban doctors +changing the health care face in South Africa is a proof of it.

Havana.- A Cuban medical brigade from Pinar del Rio has given assistance to almost 2 thousand patients during its first 8 days in Honduras. Now is in the department of Yoro. Doctor Juan C. Perez, a brigade member, described their battle against anemia, diarrhea, parasites, bronchitis, pneumonia and scabies, diseases endemic of that region, as a wide and direct one.

Cuba Tests U.S. Vaccine Device In Rare Cooperation
By Pascal Fletcher
HAVANA, Dec 16 (Reuters)

In a rare show of cooperation between the United States and Cuba, health officials in the communist-run nation on Wednesday introduced an American-made needle-free vaccine injector that will be tested on Cubans. ``This is a gesture of cooperation by our country with another country, in this case with a company from the United States,'' said Dr. Manuel Diaz Gonzalez, deputy director of Cuba's Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine. Health officials introduced the injector, made by Genesis Medical Technologies Inc. of Denver, to a group of Cuban nurses. They are among 200 vaccinators who will give a Cuban-produced anti-tetanus vaccine to 6,000 volunteers from urban and rural areas. On Wednesday, they learned how to load the injectors and tested them on oranges. The real injections will begin on Monday in Havana, and the trial will take three months to complete. State health officials, among others, would oversee the vaccinations, and 60 doctors would study the reactions of those who received the shots. Those receiving the vaccinations would be required to sign a consent form. Clauses in the 36-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba allow for the licensed sale and donation of medicines to Cuba. Stephen Marshall, the Genesis representative in Cuba, said the trial had the approval of both the Cuban and U.S. authorities. ``They know exactly what is going on,'' he told Reuters. The Genesis needle-free jet injector, which is about six inches (15 cm) long, uses a metal spring to drive a piston through a small vial of vaccine. ``It fires a very fine jet which exits at 500 mph (800 kph),'' Diaz said. The company says its product is cleaner and safer than the conventional needle and syringe, reducing the dangers of needlestick injuries and cross contamination.

South African Health Authorities Call Cuban Solidarity
An Inspiring Gesture For The South African People

Havana, December 16(RHC)-- Cuban doctors have changed the face of health in South Africa, according to South African health authorities who are visiting Cuba.

A South African delegation, headed by Deputy Health Minister Ayanda Ntsaluba and the Health Minister of Kwazulu Natal province, Zweli Mkhize, met with Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres and characterized Cuba's solidarity as "an inspiring gesture for the South African people."

The South African health delegation's visit is aimed at increasing cooperation with Cuba which includes the island's research on an AIDS vaccine, and the purchase of laboratory equipment.

There are currently 400 Cuban doctors offering their services in 124 health facilities in eight provinces in South Africa. There are 25 Cuban professors teaching at the University of Transkai medical school. And over 300 Cuban doctors, nurses, technicians and other health personnel are offering services in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti.

In related news, another Cuban medical brigade has arrived in Haiti and another one is scheduled to leave for Guatemala on Friday.

A plan proposed by Cuban President Fidel Castro includes sending no less than 200 doctors to Haiti and 2000 to Central America in an attempt to save thousands of lives each year. Cuba has also offered to extend scholarships to 5500 young people from the region over a period of ten years to study medicine in Cuba.

Cuban News From Havana/Cuban Interests Section
December 16, 1998/No. 272

South African Deputy Health Minister Visits Cuba

Havana-- South Africa's Deputy Health Minister, Ayanda Ntsaluba is currently in Cuba on a four-day official visit aimed at expanding health cooperation between both nations. The South African official said that the objective of his visit to the island is to analyze the purchase of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products needed in different provinces of the African country. The South African deputy health minister characterized the work of the Cuban doctors in that African nation as very good and expressed his desire for more Cuban doctors to offer their services to his country.

Complex Spinal Operation Successful With The Use Of Acupuncture

Las Tunas-- A successful, complex upper-spinal surgery with the use of acupuncture was carried out at the Ernesto Guevara Hospital in eastern Las Tunas province. This new method is a contribution to the growing use of natural and traditional medicine on the island. The 60-year-old patient who underwent a two and a half hour operation did not receive general anesthesia and for the first time acupuncture was applied with the support of local anesthesia.

Second Cuban Medical Brigade Arrives In Guatemala

Guatemala City, December 9(RHC)-- The second Cuban medical brigade to Guatemala has begun to offer its services to the victims of Hurricane Mitch. The medical personnel are attempting to prevent the spread of epidemics in the municipality of Joyabai, located in Quiche Department.

According to Cuba's ambassador in Guatemala, Freddy Torres, the medical brigade includes the medical equipment to install temporary clinics.

With the arrival of the new medical brigade, the number of Cuban doctors in Guatemala has increased to 70.

Cuba Hopeful Of Finding AIDS, Cancer Vaccines
By Andrew Cawthorne

HAVANA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Cuba, proud of its health record under Fidel Castro's four- decade-old communist government, expressed optimism on Wednesday that its scientists would find vaccines for AIDS and some forms of cancer in coming years. ``We need a few years more, but we are working hard on this, and are very hopeful,'' Deputy Health Minister Raul Perez told Reuters in an interview. He predicted that Cuba's state-run biotechnology industry would come up with a usable AIDS vaccine within about seven years. A vaccine to prevent patients with malignant tumors from developing cancer was also on track, added Perez, without elaborating.

Other Cuban officials have been even more optimistic in recent days. Health Minister Carlos Dotres surprised reporters in Honduras last week when he said Cuba would have an AIDS vaccine ready ``at latest in two or three years.'' And Cuban scientist Manuel Limonta was quoted in state media on Wednesday as saying studies of a possible cancer vaccine had produced ``stimulating results,'' while an AIDS vaccine would be ready by 2006 if it passed three test-stages.

AIDS experts elsewhere say a vaccine is the only way to address the virus globally, but nobody has come up with one that is accepted as safe. The problem is that the AIDS virus can mutate and re-form itself, making standard vaccine approaches such as using a weakened version of the virus unworkable.

Castro's government has long prided itself on its biotechnological and pharmaceutical sectors, and its free national health system, which are among the most developed and extensive in the Third World. But Cuba's health services have suffered amid the severe economic recession that has affected the Caribbean island this decade since the fall of the Soviet bloc. Many Cubans now grumble of medicine shortages, long waits to see doctors, and superior services available to dollar-paying foreigners. Such complaints, Perez argued, were a reflection on the abundance Cubans were used to before the economic crisis.

``Everyone had a medicine-chest in their home then,'' he said. Blaming the economic squeeze on the U.S. trade embargo, and the end of generous aid and trade ties with the former communist bloc, Perez said Cuba had managed to maintain its health system against the odds. The government did not reduce its health budget, close one medical centre or scale down research in response to the crisis, he said. And Cuba's health statistics are still among the world's best, with an infant mortality rate of 7.2 per 1,000 births, and one doctor for every 176 inhabitants on the island of 11 million people, Perez added. ``In the neoliberal countries, the first thing they do is cut public health. Not here,'' he said.

``Undeniably, there are shortages in some areas. But no-one has died for lack of medicine.'' Cuba currently spends $40 million a year importing drugs from abroad, which would be much cheaper to obtain from the United States if there were no embargo, he added. Perez said Cuba was prepared to work with foreign governments and companies to export its vaccines for the meningitis B and hepatitis B diseases. ``What is absolutely clear, is the willingness of the Cuban government to send these wherever they are needed and will help people,'' he said. Following a meningitis epidemic in the 1980s, Cuba developed a vaccine that virtually eliminated the disease, according to health ministry statistics. That vaccine has been exported to Argentina, Brazil and Colombia. Havana said it achieved the same result with hepatitis B, and various other illnesses.

Medical Brigade Will Leave For Haiti On Saturday

Havana-- A second Cuban medical brigade will leave for Haiti on Saturday as part of an aid plan that will include a third contingent next week and a fourth in January. Dr. Alfredo Portero, spokesperson for the group, said that a total of 200 Cuban specialists will work in Port Au Prince's General Hospital and in nine other areas of the country. The Cuban specialists, which include pediatricians, orthopedic surgeons, gynecologists and other surgeons and nurses, will offer their services for one year or more, if necessary.

Health Authorities Announce The Elimination Of German Measles And Mumps

Havana--Cuban Health authorities have announced that German Measles and mumps are on the list of childhood diseases that have been eliminated on the island. The diseases were eradicated by means of vaccines, given free of charge to all children. According to international health agencies, a disease has been completely eradicated when a case is not reported for a period of three years after applying the vaccine nation wide. Despite Cuba's economic difficulties, the country has managed to completely eradicate childhood diseases such as polio, measles and diphtheria.

CUBAN INTERESTS SECTION 2630 16th. St., NW, Washington, DC, 20009
Phones: (202) 797-8518/19/20 FAX: (202) 797-8521
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Camaguey Province Inaugurates Center For Natural And Traditional Medicine

Camaguey, December 4(RHC)-- With the inauguration of the Center for Natural and Traditional Medicine in the eastern province of Camaguey, all of the island's municipalities now offer such services.

Inaugurated on the occasion of National Health Worker's Day, the center will include acupuncture treatment, homeopathy, self-relaxation and hypnosis and mud therapy.

Dr. Leoncio Padron Caceres, Coordinator of the National Commission for Natural and Traditional Centers explained that the island's centers have varying levels of sophistication depending on the amount training of their personnel, years of experience and time for research.

Camaguey province is considered to be among the island's regions with the most studies performed on medicinal plants.

Pastors For Peace Delivers Medical Supplies To Cuban Doctors In Nicaragua

Managua, December 4(RHC)-- The U.S. religious/solidarity group Pastors for Peace delivered a shipment of medicines to the Cuban medical team working in Posoltega -- the community where more than two thousand were buried alive by a mudslide when Hurricane Mitch hit that Central American country last month. Heading the humanitarian aid caravan is the Reverend Lucius Walker, the Executive Director of Pastors for Peace.

Speaking with reporters in what is left of the northern Nicaraguan town -- almost completely destroyed by the massive mudslide -- Reverend Walker said that his organization decided to earmark a part of its medical shipment for the community as soon as they heard that the Cuban doctors were there.

Reverend Walker praised Cuba's selfless solidarity with the victims of Hurricane Mitch, not only in Nicaragua but also in Honduras and Guatemala where other medical brigades are freely offering their services.

The arrival of Pastors for Peace in Nicaragua follows a humanitarian aid caravan to Chiapas last week. The U.S. religious/solidarity group also organizes what are called Friendshipment Caravans to Cuba. Reverend Lucius Walker told reporters that the next caravan to the island is scheduled for mid-1999.

CUBANALYSIS
#8 CUBA'S OTHER DRUG PROBLEM

Cubans sometimes quip that their country is the only in the world where a patient gets an expertly performed heart transplant free of charge but then dies the following week of a simple infection because an antibiotic could not be found. Foreign newspapers also carry anecdotes of doctors liberally prescribing medicines they know their patients will not get. The general observation is that Cuba abounds with a medical expertise which has trouble satisfying medical needs because of a lack of medicines and equipment.

Do Cuba's national statistics support this view? And have the country's general health indicators consequently deteriorated as a result of its economic crisis?

The answer to the second question is evidently no. Cuba reported universal healthcare (access by 100% of the population) even during the depth of the economic crisis in 1993. Child immunization rates for measles and DPT was 100% in 1995. The maternal mortality rate has decreased from 31.6 to 23.5 (per 1,000 live births) during the 1990's. Life expectancy at birth has remained high: 74 years for males and 78 for females in 1996.

Other healthcare indicators also hold up well during the crisis. The number of inhabitants per doctor have markedly decreased from 303 in 1989 to 183 in 1996. The number of healthcare facilities increased from 1,715 in 1990 to 1,783 from 1990 to 1996. The number of beds increased from 78,164 to 81,549 during the same period. Medical consultations per capita increased from 6.4 to 7.0. Healthcare expenditures by the government increased by over 250 million pesos and increased their share of total government budgeted outlays from 13% to 16% during the period. Cuba's healthcare infrastructure appears to have weathered the economic crisis that buffeted Cuba in the early 1990's relatively well.

So what is wrong with the sector? Have not the government's redoubled efforts kept healthcare from being decimated by the crisis like most other sectors of the economy? Are the anecdotes off the mark?

It is Cuba's trade statistics which tell another tale. In 1990 the country imported about $54.5 million in medical and pharmaceutical products. By 1996 this figure had dropped to $18 million, a decrease of 67%. Imports of raw materials for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals decreased from $43.2 million to $9.9 million, a 77% drop. In comparison, total imports into the country decreased 53% and that of food products by only 17%. Furthermore, the modest recovery beginning in 1994 has not had a great impact in the availability of medicines. Although imports increased slightly in 1995, they decreased again in 1996 when Cuba registered strong growth in the overall economy.

These figures indeed suggest a great scarcity of medicines has developed in Cuba during the crisis and that the scarcity has been even more extreme than other economic indicators might explain. The shortages have also occurred concomitantly with a much higher availability of doctors and while the number of medical facilities have not shrunk. The conclusion one has to draw is that the data do in fact support the idea that Cubans can easily find a doctor who will prescribe medicines that cannot be found.

The charge could be made that Cuba has misallocated healthcare resources by over-investing in medical education while under-investing in medicines. However, it should be pointed out that the education of doctors represents a peso cost to the government while imported medicines represent a dollar cost. The scarcity of medicines may be nothing more than another symptom of the scarcity of foreign exchange. The fact that food imports have not decreased nearly as much could be the result that entities in the tourism sector have access to the foreign exchange they earn and are also intensive food importers. Cuba's excellent life expectancy should also not be forgotten. Either the paucity of medicines has yet to affect people's survivability, or the country's scant healthcare resources are being focussed on life-impacting treatment. Despite their troubles, Cubans remain among the longest lived people in the world.

CUBANALYSIS

(Statistical sources for this issue are: World Development Indicators 1998 CD ROM, World Bank Anuario Estadistico de Cuba 1996.)

European Union's Humanitarian Aid Office Says Cuba Makes Good Use Of Material Assistance

Havana, December 2(RHC)-- An official of the European Union's Humanitarian Aid Office, Jose Rivas Roca, characterized Cuba's use of EU donations over the past five years as highly positive.

The European Union official said that plans to contribute in maintaining the achievements of the island's health care system include all 14 Cuban provinces and health centers, including social institutions.

Jose Rivas Roca stated that, following an analysis with the Cuban government, among the priorities are medicines, food and surgical materials.

Since 1994, Cuba has received aid from the European Union amounting to some 70 million dollars.

Zambian Foreign Minister Winds Up Visit To Cuba

Havana, December 2(RHC)-- Zambia's Foreign Minister Keli Walubita has wound up an official visit to Cuba, aimed at analyzing bilateral relations with the island.

During his stay on the island, the Zambian foreign minister met with his Cuban counterpart, Roberto Robaina, and with Political Bureau member Jose Ramon Balaguer.

The African leader also met with Cuba's acting Health Minister, Abelardo Ramirez, as well as Sugar Ministry official, Alfredo Hondal.

Both sides discussed a Cuban medical brigade which will include 40 doctors and three sugar technicians to visit Zambia as part of the cooperation agreements.

Cuban News From Havana/Cuban Interests Section
December 2, 1998/No. 266 United Nations Resident Coordinator Says Cuba Is One Of The Countries With Fewest AIDS Patients

Havana-- Cuba is one of the countries with the fewest AIDS patients in the world, according to the resident coordinator of the United Nations, Ariel Francais, on the occasion of World AIDS Day on Tuesday. The date was commemorated in Havana with the inauguration of the National Center for the Prevention and Control of Transmittable Diseases as part of the Cuban government's efforts to confront the epidemic and guarantee an improved quality of life for HIV patients on the island. A United Nations report reveals that so far this year, worldwide, 33 million 400,000 people have been infected with the AIDS virus and that those between the ages of 15 to 24 years of age are the most affected.

Havana-- LABIOFAM, Cuba's Biological and Pharmaceutical Laboratories, contributed nearly six million dollars to the State during this past year, with the development of new vaccines and medicinal products. Among the current priorities of LABIOFAM is the distribution of Biorat, a biological agent to destroy or kill rats and mice -- the major carriers of fatal disease. Tons of Biorat have been sent to Central America, where health professionals are fighting against outbreaks of major epidemics following the destruction of Hurricane Mitch.

Havana-- Cuba has always extended a helping hand of solidarity to the people of the world. Following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Mitch, the recent example of Cuban doctors and medical personnel in Central America is fresh in the minds of most. But Cuban doctors are lending their services in scores of countries around the world -- including Paraguay, Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, the Seychelles, Mozambique South Africa, Brazil, Jamaica, Angola and Guyana. Cuban sports trainers are working with athletes in many parts of the world, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean. Among the countries where Cuban sports experts are lending their services are: Barbados, Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, Venezuela, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Chile.

Havana. - As a consequence of the priority given by Cuba to health care, infant mortality rate in children under one year of age reached its lowest rate ever with 7.1 per 1 thousand in 1998. Dr. Carlos Dotres, minister of health, pointed out that "our medical system does not work for reducing rates but to achieve the highest levels in the quality of life of every Cuban citizen". The reduction in the above-mentioned rate from 7.2 in 1997 to 7.1 in 1998, when almost 151 thousand children were born, is not a simple mathematical subtraction, but bringing 28 children to life, all thanks to the effort made by Those working in the health care sector.

Havana - Around 420 Honduran youth have enrolled in the Program of 300 medical scholarships in Cuba, offered by the Cuban government to help relieve the disaster caused by Hurricane Mitch. Maruca dipp, director of Cultural affairs of the Honduran foreign ministry, said that these young candidates are looking forward to studying in Cuba. They will all go through a screening process. The scholarships will be distributed taking into account the poverty level of the 18 provinces of this Central American country, added the official.

CUBAN INTERESTS SECTION 2630 16th. St., NW, Washington, DC, 20009
Phones: (202) 797-8518/19/20 FAX: (202) 797-8521
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Havana-- Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina, currently on an official visit to Nicaragua, has stated that relations between the two countries are going well -- despite their differences. During a joint news conference in the northern Department of Esteli -- where Robaina, accompanied by Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman, traveled to visit the Cuban medical brigades offering their assistance to victims of Hurricane Mitch --Aleman took the opportunity to thank the government and people of Cuba for the urgently needed assistance. Aleman said that with Robaina's visit, Cuba has now agreed to grant another 100 scholarships to Nicaraguans wishing to study medicine in Cuba -- up from an original 200 to 300..The Cuban foreign minister stated that his visit was solely aimed atratifying Cuba's willingness to send all the medical personnel needed by the Central American nations affected by Mitch and to officially sign the documents pardoning Nicaragua's 50 million dollar bilateral debt to Cuba.

Havana-- Young Central American students are beginning to arrive in Cuba to begin training as doctors at a new school especially created for the purpose. The Latin American School of Medicine will be located in the old Naval Academy in Havana, serving the students coming from countries most-affected by the recent hurricanes that devastated the region. The first preparatory and premedical courses will begin next month. The school is expected to be fully operational by September 1999.

Havana-- Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina traveled to Haiti on Tuesday to evaluate the medical assistance currently provided by Cuban health specialists. Cuban health authorities have announced that during the month of January, the number of Cuban health specialists providing assistance in Central America and Haiti will more than double. As of December 31st, 406 Cuban health specialists were working in these countries, and that number will reach 880 by the end of this month. Last Sunday, another medical brigade comprised of 23 specialists headed for Haiti, while this month more brigades will arrive in Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti and Nicaragua. Also this month, the first 1000 Central American and Haitian students will arrive in Cuba to study medicine, as part of a plan to train 5500 doctors from these countries over the next ten years.

Cuba Offers Honduras Medical Aid For The Victims Of Hurricane Mitch

Havana, November 3(RHC)-- Cuba has offered humanitarian assistance to the people of Honduras, seriously affected by Hurricane Mitch. Cuba's Health Minister Carlos Dotres stated that 14 doctors and nurses from different specialties will travel to the most affected areas of Honduras, mainly the region of Mosquitia in the Department of Gracias a Dios, which was the hardest hit by the storm.

Referring to Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman's refusal to accept Cuba's offer of humanitarian aid for the Nicaraguan people, the Cuban Health Minister said that Cuba has always offered its solidarity with the rest of the people's of the world when they are severely affected by a natural disaster. He pointed to the example of the Dominican Republic, Honduras and other countries that have been affected.

Cuba currently has 1500 Cuban medical specialists serving in some 40 countries around the world.

[c] 1998, Radio Habana Cuba

German Medical Aid Arrives In Cuba

Havana- Germany's Foreign Affairs Office and Bayer Pharmaceutical Company have donated three tons of medicines to Cuba as part of Bonn's cooperation efforts to help maintain health care -- one of the island's most important social achievements. The first part of the German donation arrived in Havana on the inaugural flight of Condor Airlines, which transported the donation free of charge. During a ceremony held in Havana, Cuban health authorities thanked the German government, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Condor Airlines for the donation.

October 31, 1998.

Havana.-Recombinant human eritroprotein, a glucoprotein that stimulates red cell production, was obtained for the first time in Cuba through genetic engineering . This injectable product was developed at the molecular immunology center. Its marketing has started only for hospital use in patients suffering from anemia, particularly those affected by acute renal impairment, aids patients requiring AZT treatment and cancer patients under chemotherapy.

Panama's Health Minister Says Cuba's Health Care System Is An Example For The Continent

Havana, October 23(RHC)-- The Cuban health care system is an example for the Americas, according to Panama's Health Minister Libia Moreno who took part in the Psychohabana '98.

Dr. Moreno traveled to Cuba -- not in her capacity as health minister, but as a psychiatrist -- to attend the event at Havana's Convention Center this week.

The Panamanian official said one of the biggest challenges for Latin American psychiatrists is to achieve a humane and integral system for its mental patients in the next millennium.

She added that many countries in the region want to emulate Cuba's example in the field in an attempt to improve their own health care systems.

Representatives Of New York Catholic Hospitals Visit The Island

Havana, October 23 (RHC)-- During a meeting with Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres in Havana, representatives of New York Catholic Hospitals said they are interested in cooperating in Cuba's health sector.

The delegation is headed by the Director of New York's Catholic Hospitals Network, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Healy Sedutto.

The President of Saint Clair Hospital in New York City, James Rutherford, referred to the exchange of specialists in the field of infectious diseases and scientific documentation as a review for health personnel.

Dr. Rutherford characterized Cuba's health care system as "impressive" and praised the level of primary health care.

Cuba's Health Minister Carlos Dotres explained the characteristics of the island's health care system and the effects of the U.S. blockade.

Members of the delegation from New York City are touring hospitals in Matanzas province and are scheduled to visit health institutions in Havana on Saturday. The group will wind up their tour of the island on Sunday.

Psychiatry Conference Underway In Havana

Havana, October 22(RHC)-- Two important events are taking place in Havana as part of the international psychiatry conference Psychohabana '98: the International Symposium on Violence Against Children and the First French-Latin American Meeting on Legal Psychiatry.

Argentinean Senator Mario Losada, a participant in the Symposium on Violence Against Children, stated that "defending a child today preserves tomorrow's adult" -- helping to achieve a more just and more closely-knit society. Losada stressed that early preventive work can keep children from becoming violent. The Argentinean lawmaker emphasized the need to make the world aware of the importance of protecting children.

Violence was also a topic of discussion in the First French-Latin American Meeting on Legal Psychiatry, in which participants noted the importance of treating such cases both from a clinical and a social point of view. Psychohabana '98 wraps up tomorrow, Friday.

Cuba News Updates Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 Havana. -

Cuba has accomplished a large production and development of pharmaceutical products to be used in medical researches, said Dr.Ramon Ortiz Rodriguez, of the national center of isotopes. The expert pointed out that the high qualification of the researchers and the state-of-the-art infrastructure in the techniques used, have allowed for the products of the institution to be sold in different countries of the world. He explained that the scientific institution is systematically improving and that it incorporates the most advanced technologies.

President Fidel Castro Ruz Speech To CDR Meeting

Granma International 1998. Electronic Edition. Havana, Cuba

In Spite Of Our Difficulties And Shortages, We Sent Humanitarian Aid To The Dominican Republic

"We are blockaded, we don't have the possibility of swiftly being able to buy a quantity of grains, or whatever, in Florida, with minimum transportation, neither are we able to get credit from any bank, from any of those international agencies. On the other hand, we have ourselves: a hardened people, a veteran people, an experienced people, an organized people, a protected people. Here's the data, the names and municipalities of the persons who have died. Not one child, not one adolescent, not one young person! In spite of our difficulties and shortages, we sent the aforementioned aid to the Dominican Republic under the responsibility of the Revolution and with your support. (APPLAUSE) That's what's important.

We have invested the aircraft fuel, some pieces of equipment that will permit minor surgery, to attend to the people there for a period of time, but fully aware of what it signifies in moral terms for Cuba to do that. They're not going to measure it by volume, but as a gesture. And if we are prepared to help a country that has suffered greater destruction than ours, I believe that we're not just preaching with words, but by example.

We have confidence in the quality of the specialists who went there, and we hope they can save lives!"

An Iberoamerican Conference On The Elderly To Take Place On The Island

Havana, October 19 (RHC)-- The fifth Conference of the Iberoamerican Intergovernmental Network on Technical Cooperation for the Elderly and Disabled kicked off in eastern Santiago de Cuba with the participation of 22 regional countries.

Participant in the event will hold round table discussions and conferences, and will exchange information on the policies toward the elderly and the disabled.

The event will run through Thursday.

Cuba Modern-Day Pied Piper
By Joaquín Oramas

Granma International 1998. Electronic Edition. Havana

Cuban pesticide BIORAT is a revelation, given its effectiveness in the eradication of rodent plagues. LIKE a contemporary version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, whose haunting melodies led hundreds of rats into the river, a new Cuban biological pesticide has appeared on the scene whose effectiveness and usefulness has been proven in various countries suffering from outbreaks of rodent epidemics. This is BIORAT, a unique biodegradable product with multiple advantages due to its high efficiency rate and conditions, given that it is harmless to human beings, has no negative effects on the ecosystem and only attacks rodents without damaging other animal species. Pesticide research and trials were initiated in Cuba 20 years ago and production for domestic use began in 1985. From then to date, much could be written on this Cuban preparation, whose most recent success was the elimination of millions of rats laying waste to the capital of Bolivia. Here it's appropriate to refer to BIORAT's success rate in other Latin American countries and in Asia. In 1994, a bubonic plague epidemic broke out in Chiclayo, in the desert region of Peru, and the product was applied to eradicate the epidemic. In the Peruvian city of Chimbote the dangerous population of rodents affecting fishmeal production there was brought under control by BIORAT.

Subsequently, an outbreak of leptospirosis was reported in eight Nicaraguan municipalities, with over 1000 cases, and within one month of a BIORAT campaign, the epidemic was contained. Similar results were reported in the battle against hemorrhagic fever in Bolivia, Venezuela and Argentina. A further positive experience has been the use of the Cuban pesticide in the Mekong Delta rice fields, where, in some areas, 30-70% of the harvests have been ruined by rodent activity. Rats and mice there are creating economic, social and health problems, demonstrated by the fact that in some parts of the Mekong farmers have had to evacuate their villages due to the destruction of their harvests. Within 12 days of applying BIORAT in those places, its effective- ness was 85pcent. Given these results, a biofactory is being built in Viet Nam, as a Cuban-Vietnamese association for the production of the pesticide to control rats and mice infesting the rice areas of that country. The product has also been successfully utilized in poultry farms, hog breeding centers, slaughterhouses and other installations in the Dominican Republic, Central America and other areas. The Labiofam enterprise, in charge of BIORAT production, is currently working with a Chinese corporation to extend production to that huge country.

After field trials, it is also about to be registered in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Turkey, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Interest in BIORAT has also been shown in Malaysia and Indonesia, while its use has extended throughout India. There are also prospects within the United States , despite an article published in the New York scientific magazine Lancer which questioned the Labiofam product, arguing that it presents high risks for the population. Subsequently, the same magazine was forced to publish another article from the World Reference Center for Stocks, which clearly confirms that BIORAT is a totally innocuous product. The initial article reflected economic concerns in some U.S. competitive circles because of the results of this Cuban pesticide, demonstrated in various countries.. In fact, Cuban BIORAT has no competition, since there is no other product currently on the market with similar conditions; i.e.,rodents do not develop resistance to it, and it has no negative effects on the environment. BIORAT is a product applied over six-month periods, utilizing all the technical requirements. It can be applied once a year with extremely successful results..

For two consecutive years, this biological pesticide has won bids in Central America over U.S. laboratory products - including the reputed Abbot company - for its quality, stability and effectiveness.

France's Rhone Poulenc Rorer Foundation Will Donate Medicine To The Cuban People

Havana, October 15 (RHC)-- The French Rhone Poulenc Rorer Foundation announced a donation of over 140,000 doses of antibiotics and other medicines destined for the island's hospitals.

The president of the Foundation, George Boumendil, outlined the efficiency of the Cuban Health System and the institution's intention of continuing its cooperation with the island.

Boumendil added that the medical donation will arrive in Havana in a few days.

The French Foundation is the 9th largest pharmaceutical producer in the country and has had commercial relations with Cuba for the past 16 years.

Yemen's Ambassador To Cuba Thanks The Island For Its Cooperation In Health And Education

Havana, October 16 (RHC)-- Yemen's ambassador to Cuba, Abdulla Abdul Elah praised Cuba's cooperation in the health and education sectors on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of that nation's Revolution and the 36th of its armed struggle against British colonialism.

During a rally held in the Republic of Yemen Junior High School located in Havana province, Cuban authorities reiterated their willingness to continue historic cooperation with Yemen and thanked the Arab nation for its international support for the self determination of the Cuban people and against Washington's blockade against the island.

International Workshop On Child Cardiology Winds Up In Havana

Havana, October 9 (RHC)-- A two day International workshop entitled "Child Surgery in the Caribbean on the threshold of the 21st Century", wound up on Thursday in y Havana's William Soler Pediatric Hospital.

Child cardiologists from Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba as well as Mexico and Paraguay, reaffirmed their intentions to improve the sector. Dr. David Brati of Trinidad and Tobago stressed the advances of Cuban medicine and added that Cuban cardiocenters have the capability to treat many Caribbean patients with heart problems.

During the event, Paraguayan Dr. Norma Astigarraga, proposed creating a Latin American cardiology network.

Bio-Pharmaceutical Laboratory Works Extra Hours To Get Veterinary Medicines And Vaccines To Areas Hit By Hurricane Georges

Havana, October 7 (RHC)-- Cuba's bio-pharmaceutical laboratory, LABIOFAM, has delivered over 60 tons of veterinary medicines and vaccines to the country's cattle ranchers in an effort to deal with and prevent epidemics arising from the effects of Hurricane Georges.

Local sources indicate that LABIOFAM laboratories which produce 95 per cent of the island's veterinary medicines, are working extra hours to get out the necessary medications which are valued at some 350 thousand dollars.

The Caribbean Medical Association Will Inaugurate Event Next Week In Havana

Havana, October 2 (RHC)-- The Caribbean Medical Association, will sponsor an event October 7 and 8 in Havana dedicated to cardiology in children . The conference will be held in Havana's William Soler Pediatric Hospital.

In "Pediatric Cardiology in the Caribbean on the Threshold of the 21st Century", Cuba will offer its experience in the field of Cardiology in children. The island has dramatically reduced the infant mortality rate among infants with heart problems.

Issues to be discussed are the situation of rheumatic fever in Jamaica, a program for the prevention and control of that disease and the development of Cuba's Health Ministry.

Cuban Medical Brigade Working In Dominican Republic

Havana, October 1 (RHC) A Cuban medical brigade is currently working in the city of Vicente Noble some 180 kilometers southeast of the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo.

The area was reportedly hard hit by Hurricane Georges, whose torrential rains caused the Yaque del Sur River and San Juan Rivers to flood their banks.

The Cuban medical brigade's main task in the Dominican Republic is to give medical aid to people living in the area which was heavily damaged by floods which have created dangerous mud slides.

The medical brigade will give free vaccines and distribute pharmaceutical products to the poor. The Cuban medical professionals also took with them an electrical generator and two giant tents containing 10 beds each to be used as field hospitals.

The group, which is headed by Dr. Elias Chavez, the director of hospitals of Cuba's Health Ministry, includes an epidemiologist, general practitioners, specialists and surgeon

The Dominican Health Ministry has provided use of the Vicente Noble Hospital for both Cuban and Dominican doctors to attend patients injured in the Hurricane

Cuban Biorat Product Successfully Used In The Bolivian Capital

Havana, September 30 (RHC)-- Cuban experts have exterminated some six million rats and mice, 70 per cent of the number estimated to be in La Paz, Bolivia, using a biological poison. The excellent results have reportedly surprised municipal authorities.

Statistics show that in La Paz, which has a population of a million , there were 10 to 12 rats per person. According to Bolivian health official, Nicanor Joy, there are an some 2 to 3 weeks left in the city's anti- rat campaign .

Cuba's "Biorat", is deadly for rats but not dangerous for humans. Biorat is made of rice husks and with a strong cheese smell added to attract rodents. It is effective year- round and maintains its deadly properties while frozen in storage for up to a year .

According Bolivian authorities, the anti- rat campaign has been so successful that they will continue using the Cuban product twice a year nationwide.

Havana- The Cuban Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs), have contributed 569,981 blood donations to the island's blood banks -- a new record. The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution is the island's largest grassroots organization.

The number of blood donations is 9,865 more than projected for the current period, which runs from October last year to September 1998. According to CDR activists, in 1997 the organization reached the World Health Organization's goal for the year 2000 -- one blood donation for every 20 inhabitants - - a goal set for developed countries. Today, one out of every 19.3 Cubans has given a blood donation. Since the voluntary blood donation drive sponsored by the grassroots organization began in 1962, the CDRs have donated over 8 million 806,284 donations. The quality of the donated blood is not only supported by the Cuban people's good health indexes but also by doctors and nurses, as well as rigorous tests for syphilis or HIV 1 and 2. Re-agents for those tests are provided by the Cuban Immunoassay Center. The Medicine Quality Control Center also regulates the activity.

The security of the testing process is such that the World and Pan American Health Organizations have asked Cuba to advise other Third World nations on the issue. Cuba has not imported blood derivatives since 1982.

More Physicians Join The Ranks Of Family Doctor Program

Havana- Recently graduated medical doctors will be joining the ranks of the Family Doctor Program in the Province in Havana. The Family Doctor Program -- the backbone of Cuba's preventive medicine system -- has been credited with the preservation of Cuba's internationally recognized health indexes, despite adverse economic conditions. With the new 291 medical doctors assigned to work in the Province of Havana, 92 percent of the province's residents will be covered by the Program.

The physicians will undergo a familiarization course with the tasks they will develop, mostly at work centers, boarding schools, day care centers and at medical posts in the province's remote rural areas. According to health care authorities, within two years, the province of Havana will have 100 percent of its population attended by the Family Doctor Program, when the local Medicine Faculty graduates 400 new doctors.

But while authorities make efforts to provide adequate health care to all Cubans, non-transmissible diseases are rating as the prime factors of death on the island. According to an official study released in Havana by the island's Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute and the National Statistics Office, non- transmissible diseases as a result of hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption and lack of exercise are the principal causes of death in Cuba.

The report reveals that in 1995, those afflictions were responsible for 77 percent of deaths on the island. In Cuba, the principal causes of death are heart disease, cancer, stroke, accidents, diabetes melitis and asthma. The head of the study team, Mariano Bonet, said that though more than 50 percent of those questioned said they would like to give up smoking, Cubans are picking up the habit at an ever younger age. Investigators note that some 45.2 of those polled in Havana consume alcohol, with that number rising to 50 percent between the ages of 20 and 40.

Cuban Medical Brigade Arrives In Dominican Republic To Help Victims Of Hurricane George

Havana, September 28, (RHC) A medical brigade from Cuba has arrived in the Dominican Republic to help the victims of Hurricane George. The brigade, comprised of 13 Cuban medical specialists and technicians, arrived today with medicines and vaccinations in the city of Barahona, some 200 kilometers southwest of the capital Santo Domingo. They have vowed to remain in the Dominican Republic as long as necessary.

Meanwhile, the death toll in this neighboring Caribbean nation has reached 203 people killed, and is still expected to rise. Official government figures place at 75 the number of disappeared, but independent estimates indicated that hundreds of Dominicans are still unaccounted for. As of Sunday, some 300 thousand people remained in shelters.

Though some aid has reached some of the victims, tens of thousands are reportedly remain without any aid in a situation termed as desperate - surrounded by stench, mud and insects, with people still on the roofs of their flooded homes. Over the weekend, media outlets reported the death by starvation of 6 people in Barahona Province.

There are also reports of an outbreak of a conjunctivitis epidemic in several refuge centers, while children are experiencing gastro intestinal diseases. 40 percent of the country's health care centers were affected by the hurricane, making more difficult the treatment of victims. Health specialists are predicting the appearance of other epidemics like malaria and dengue fever.

A group of business associations has suggested that the government temporarily suspend payment of the country's foreign debt to earmark those funds for the victims. It's estimated that Hurricane George caused damage at least to the tune of one billion 200 million dollars, more than 25 percent of the Dominican Republic's foreign debt.

Cuba Elected Member Of Panamerican Health Organization Executive Committee

Havana, September 24 (RHC)-- Cuba was elected member of the Executive Committee of the Pan-American Health Organization during the 25th general assembly of that institution in Washington, D.C.

Cuba's Health Minister, Carlos Dotres said that the overwhelming vote in favor of Cuba is a significant manifestation of the support of Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Dr. Dotres also stressed that the vote is recognition of Cuba's national healthcare policy, and a gesture of solidarity and cooperation with the countries of the continent.

National Center For The Prevention Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases To Open Its Doors In Havana In December

Havana, September 24 (RHC)-- The National Center for the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS will be inaugurated December 1st in Cuba.

The Center will instruct young people on the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and how to avoid contracting them.

Director of the new institution, Rosaida Ochoa, told the press that the idea for the center came out of the need to prioritize the fight against sexually transmitted diseases and to train the island's health personnel.

The National Center for the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS has the technical and financial support of the international humanitarian organization,Doctors Without Borders.

Cuba Will Increase Its Forests To 27 Percent Of Total Area By The Year 2000

Havana, September 17(RHC)-- Cuba will increase its forests to 27 percent of its total land surface by the year 2000, according to Cuban Deputy Agriculture Minister Fidel Ramos. The official made the statement at the Second Cuban Forestry Congress that wound up Thursday in Havana.

The deputy vice minister said that this is part of the island's forestry strategy, in line with Agenda 21. Ramos noted that the island's reforestation efforts over the past four decades have raised the area of natural forests on the island to more than 240 million hectares.

World Food Program And Cuba Sign Agreement In Havana

Havana, September 17(RHC)-- The Cuban government and the United Nations World Food Program have signed a letter of intent in the Cuban capital to begin the implementation of an emergency aid program in the island's five eastern provinces. The area has been hard hit by a severe drought over the last few months.

Under the agreement, the World Food Program will provide nearly 21 million dollars to buy 34,000 tons of food for the health and education sectors in the eastern provinces of Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo. The accord will benefit some 615,000 people.

During the signing ceremony, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Ibrahim Ferradaz said that the UN aid will complement the Cuban government's efforts to ease the effects of the drought in the eastern provinces. He added that the cooperation by the World Food Program was organized quickly and efficiently.

The first operation by the UN World Food Program in Cuba was implemented after Hurricane Flora swept across the island in 1962. Since then, it has implemented 11 emergency and eight cooperation programs on the island. The World Food Program will begin distributing food in October, following the importation of rice, vegetable oil, flour and canned fish

Neo-Liberal Globalization Is Selective And Discriminatory

New York, September 18(RHC)-- Cuba has denounced the current globalization process sweeping the world, calling it "selective and discriminatory." Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Dr. Carlos Dotres, Cuba's Minister of Public Health, stated that the economic process has thrown an enormous part of the world into misery.

The Cuban representative to a special UN session on the economic, political and social impact of globalization, pointed out that the underdeveloped countries of Africa are a prime example of the unjust nature of neo-liberalism. Dotres emphasized that while industrialized nations benefit from the plunder of the African continent, the people of Africa are only given limited humanitarian aid to deal with massive hunger, drought or when wars break-out.

During his address to the special UN General Assembly session, Dr. Carlos Dotres said that although statistics show a certain economic growth in some regions of the Third World, in reality there are immense segments of the population where life below the poverty line is a daily reality.

The Cuban minister of public health noted that the enormous disparity between the industrialized North and the impoverished South is demonstrated by the fact that more than 500 million people do not live beyond the age of 40, 800 million lack access to health care and 17 million die each year from such curable diseases as diarrhea or tuberculosis.

Havana.- The 5th international congress of sports medicine, psychology and trauma will be held at Havana's "Frank Pais" hospital October 5-9. The progress of the sports in the island in which the doctors and researchers' work plays an remarkable role makes it possible for Cuba to gather outstanding specialists of the world in this meeting to exchange views and results for a bigger progress in the field. Prince Alexander de Merode, chairman of the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee is among the visitors.

Early 80 Percent Of Cuban Mothers Are Breast Feeding

Havana, September 8 (RHC)-- 76 percent of Cuban mothers breast feed their babies until the children are four months old, according to Cuban health authorities. That puts the island close to the proposal of the World Children's Summit that countries should reach 80 percent by the year 2000.

Mother's milk has been found to be the best nourishment and medicine for newborns contributing greatly to the child's overall health. In the early 1990's breast feeding in Cuba until the fourth month of life was only at 25 percent, but thanks to an initiative put forward by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund Unicef, hospitals that promoted breast feeding were declared Mother and Child Friendly Hospitals.

The Mother and Child Friendly hospital drive became a national health program on the island which has been extended to Cuba's family doctor and nurse offices as well as in the homes of new mothers. Mother's milk immunizes the child against several diseases including diarrhea, a big killer of children in the Third World.

AIDS And Venereal Disease Hotline Set Up In Havana

Havana, September 8 (RHC)-- An anonymous and confidential AIDS and Venereal Disease Hotline is operating in Cuba to provide information on sexually transmitted diseases and the

HIV virus and AIDS. The service, called "Lineayuda", or help on the line, was set up by the Cuban Health Ministry in close cooperation with Holland's Doctors without Bordershumanitarian organization. The aim of the hotline is to re-enforce education and promote prevention

Health Ministers From Andalucia, Spain Visiting Cuba

Havana, September 8 (RHC)-- The Health Minister from the southern Spanish region of Andalucia, Jose Luis Garcia, has arrived in Cuba for an official visit scheduled to end on Sunday. The visitor brought with him a donation to be presented to Cuban medical centers.

During his stay on the island, Garcia will visit pediatric hospitals and scientific research centers. He will also meet with Havana health authorities and with those from other areas.

Grandma And Grandpa Always Have A Place To Go

Havana, September 1(RHC)-- Cuba is increasing the number of its innovative senior day centers, or Casas de los Abuelos. The institutions, of which there are now 70 island-wide, offer complete daytime services to seniors, including geriatric health care. The centers -- often housed in lovely house and even mansions -- offer cultural activities, meals, medical care, outings and companionship to older Cubans who either need supervision or who simply like to get out of the house during the day.

Having a pleasant and secure place to leave elderly family members for eight house during the day allows many Cubans to work and go to school without worrying about their loved ones. It also gives retired Cubans the opportunity to get together with their peers for a game of dominoes or cards or to form singing and drama groups, to learn crafts and other skills and to attend concerts, movie screenings and a variety of other events.

On Monday, Cuban Health Minister Dr. Carlos Dotres inaugurated the island's 70th senior day center in the town of Nuevitas, located in the eastern province of Camaguey. Dr. Dotres praised the institution but noted that there are still problems plaguing the elderly in Cuba, including a shortage of medicines.

U.N. Appeals For Aid To Avert Malnutrition In Cuba

ROME, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The U.N. food aid agency appealed to the international community on Tuesday for $20.5 million to provide food for Cubans hit by shortages caused by the worst drought in decades in the east of the island.

The Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP) said more than 600,000 people in Cuba's five eastern provinces were in need of emergency aid for the nine months until the next harvest in May.

``These people need help and they need it as soon as possible. The situation is worsening and it is clear thecountry confronts a serious shortfall in food,'' WFP executive director Catherine Bertini said in a statement.

``In the absence of a generous response from the international community, the vulnerable population in Cubafaces malnutrition and will become weaker and more susceptible to illness,'' Bertini added.

WFP said it was also seeking help from the private sector, corporations and Cuban communities living abroad. The appeal was based on findings of a U.N. mission to Cuba which showed that a second year of abnormal weather, blamed on the El Nino phenomenon, had caused crop losses expected to total 608,562 tonnes, the WFP said. livestock losses had so far come to just over 4,000 tonnes of meat and 6.2 million litres of milk.

Drought and high temperatures hampered planting from May to October 1997, usually the period of heaviest rainfall. The drought continued except for a period of tropical storms that caused flooding and damage between November and April this year, the agency said.

Parts of Guantanamo province received only 10 percent of normal rainfall while Holguin province recorded its driest April since 1941. Rainfall was 22 percent of the normal level in Las Tunas province and less than 40 percent in Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces.

WFP aid, consisting of rice, beans, vegetable oil, canned fish and wheat flour, will be distributed alongside subsidised rations provided by the Cuban government.

Bertini said food aid would be targeted at children under five, primary and secondary school pupils, pregnant and nursing women, the disabled and the elderly.

No Health Problems In Drought-Stricken Areas

Havana, August 25(RHC)-- Cuban health authorities say the drought affecting the island's five eastern provinces have caused no health problems among the population. Speaking to reporters in Havana on Tuesday, Public Health Deputy Minister Jorge Delgado Bustillo reported on a fact-finding mission to the area. From August 18th through 21st, a team of experts made on-site evaluations of the epidemiologic-hygienic situation of approximately four million inhabitants, which are suffering from an acute water shortage. In such circumstances, Bustillo stated, digestive's tract illnesses are likely to occur. However, swift action by the island's authorities to the climatic difficulty has avoided an epidemic outbreak. According to the public health official, water chloride is guaranteed and a special shipment of anti-diarrhea medications has been delivered to the provinces. So far, there has been no need to resort to the medications. Meteorologists say that Holguin province is the most affected by the drought, followed by Las Tunas, Guantanamo, Granma and Santiago de Cuba.

Cuba And South Africa Will Increase Bilateral Cooperation In The Field Of Health

Havana- Expanding collaboration between Cuba and South Africa in the field of medical research was the main issue discussed in Pretoria by Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres and medical personnel from the South African Tropical Medicine Center. Both parties expressed their interest in promoting a closer relationship between South African medical institutions and the Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute in Havana. The Cuban health minister, who is heading a delegation to South Africa, told reporters that Cuba's assistance to the African nation in the area of health is an example of selfless support and solidarity. Health Minister Carlos Dotres and his accompanying delegation was welcomed to Pretoria by his South African counterpart, Nkozasana Zuma, which whom he discussed aspects of bilateral collaboration.

Cuba Registers Infant Mortality Rate Of 7.3 So Far This Year

Havana, July 13(RHC)-- At the end of the first six months of this year, Cuba's infant mortality rate dropped to 7.3 per one thousand live births -- compared to 7.5 during the same period last year.

Cuba's Health Minister Carlos Dotres told reporters that despite the positive results, major efforts will be made this year to confront diarrhea and respiratory problems which increase during the summer months.

Villa Clara was the province with the lowest infant mortality rate -- set at 4.8 per one thousand live births -- followed by eastern Granma province with 5.4 and central Camaguey weighing in at 6.3.

According to epidemiologist Dr. Norma Martinez, the key factor in this achievement has been the collective work of experts and other health personnel in the field. She explained that congenital problems continue being the main causes of death in children under one year of age on the island.

Dr. Martinez pointed out that the maternal mortality rate on the island continues to be one of the lowest in the world, with perspectives to continue improving.

Cuban AIDS Studies

Geneva, July 2(RHC)-- Scientists from Havana's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center have presented two studies at the 12th World Conference on AIDS, underway in Geneva, Switzerland. The studies show the results of tests using a vaccine developed on the island against HIV. Cuban researchers Antonieta Herrera and Carlos Duarte told participants at the conference that following successful animal testing, the vaccine will soon be ready for human candidates. Only six countries -- the United States, France, England, Switzerland, Japan and Cuba -- have tested a total of 15 vaccines, carrying out over 30 clinical trials using various technologies. Another issue on the event's agenda is the inaccessibility of the latest and most advanced therapies for AIDS patients, given their extremely high cost, and the cold reception given by transnational pharmaceutical companies to the issue of accessibility.

23rd Meeting Of Health Ministers Of Non-Aligned Movement Ends Two Days Of Sessions In The Cuban Capital

Havana, June 26(RHC)-- After two days of intense debates, participants at the 23rd Meeting of Health Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement issued a Final Declaration which includes strategies and plans of action to cope with problems and difficulties faced by underdeveloped nations in the health sector.

The document focuses on globalization as a characteristic of today's world and ways in which it affects underdeveloped countries, pointing to the widening gap between rich and poor. It also focuses on reform processes in the health sector in order achieve equity, something that has been impossible with traditional health care systems.

Health, poverty and development was another aspect of the Final Declaration. It emphasizes that health care should become a central element for development and that sustainable health care systems should be organized and developed to satisfy the needs of the poor.

The Final Declaration of the 23rd Meeting of Health Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement stresses the need to improve technical cooperation and the development of national and international strategies, with the implementation of plans of action. The declaration urges the international community to guarantee that public health --more than commercial interests -- be a priority in health care.

The meeting of health ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement concluded Friday evening here in Havana. Cuban President Fidel Castro addressed delegates at the closing ceremony, condemning wasteful spending on weapons of destruction and calling for greater investment in health care. The Cuban leader compared public with private medical care, characterizing private care as "medicine for the rich."

Non-Aligned Ministerial Meeting Begins On Thursday In Havana

Havana, June 22(RHC)-- Cuba will be the site of the 23rd Meeting of Health Ministers from Non-Aligned Countries. This is the first time such a gathering takes place outside the framework of a World Health Organization meeting.

The event, which will take place at Havana's Convention Center June 25th and 26th, will be inaugurated by Cuban Minister of Public Health, Dr. Carlos Dotres. Also participating in the opening ceremony will be Hiroshi Nakajima, outgoing Director General of the World Health Organization (the WHO).

Representatives from 66 countries have confirmed their participation -- over half of them health ministers. Representatives from Nigeria, Seychelles, Lebanon, Syria, Korea, Zimbabwe and Colombia are already in Cuba, while officials from Vietnam, Niger, Laos and Malaysia are expected to arrive later today. Other arrivals are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Delegates participating in the 23rd Meeting of Health Ministers from Non-Aligned Countries will deal with issues related to three main themes: Reforms in the Health Sector; Health for All; and Technical Cooperation Between Countries.

The meeting's main objective will be to discuss challenges in the health sector as the world approaches the 21st century, with an emphasis on neo-liberal policies geared to privatizing health care.

May 21 Havana- Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres praised the results of the Second Hispanic-American Symposium on Medical Teleconferencing which has concluded in Havana. During the closing ceremony in the Cuban capital, the health minister thanked the Hispanic-American Research Association and Telecommunications Company for having selected Cuba as host nation. After recognizing that technology will help to strengthen the health sector, the Cuban official stressed that communications will never substitute the need for solidarity in the practice of medical science. Among the many issues discussed during the symposium, experts from 25 countries paid special attention to the use of medical teleconferences in various countries, including Cuba and Norway.

Ukraine thanks Cuba for aid to ``Chernobyl kids''

June 19, 1998 Eastern HAVANA - The Ukraine government thanked Cuba on Friday for treating thousands of its children affected by radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

``Ukraine is very grateful for all that Cuba has done for the children of my country,'' Health Minister Andrei Serdiuk said at a meeting in Cuba of an inter-governmental commission between Kiev and Havana.

He praised the ``highly qualified'' treatment given by Cuban doctors to some 13,170 Ukrainian youngsters, known locally as the ``Chernobyl children,'' who have been coming here for medical attention since the April 1986 accident at the nuclear plant.

The children form the bulk of about 17,550 people from the former Soviet Union affected by Chernobyl fall-out who have been treated in communist-run Cuba, according to officials of Cuba and Ukraine.

Both nations pledged to continue the medical cooperation, and to try to restore the strong trade links they had prior to the Soviet collapse.

South African Medical Students to Cuba

JOHANNESBURG, (June 18, 1998) AIA/GIN - The South African government has decided to send black students to train as doctors in Cuba to ease the current shortage, especially in the rural areas.

Under an agreement with the Cuban government, 52 students would train in Cuba for six years. Upon completion, the young doctors would be deployed to outlying areas where the patient doctor ratio is as high as one to 20,000.

Currently, Cuban doctors are serving in most South African rural health centers.

The move has been opposed by deans of South African universities who feel that the money spent on the Cuban program could have been used locally, training 156 potential doctors. Of the 22,000 medical doctors in South Africa today, only 3,000 are black.

Most of the white graduates left the country soon after completing their studies.

The government is unhappy with the number of black medical graduates produced by the country's eight medical schools.

Eradicating Leprosy
5/27/98

Havana- Cuba has complied with the World Health Organization's goal of eradicating leprosy before the year 2000. According to the Cuban Health Ministry, the total number of leprosy patients on the island is less than one of every 10,000 inhabitants. Cuba recently eliminated German measles and is currently applying a therapeutic program introduced by the WHO with a highly-effective medication that cures leprosy when it is diagnosed early.

Cuban Health Collaboration With Botswana

Havana- Cuban Vice President Juan Almeida met with the visiting Foreign Minister of Botswana, Mompati Merafhe, who heads his country's delegation to the 5th Joint Inter-governmental Commission with Cuba. During the commission's session, the African leader and Cuba's Foreign Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas signed a bilateral agreement. Both sides agreed to work in strengthening bilateral cooperation. Cuba maintained its commitment to continue with the health collaboration to this African nation. Cuba currently has 13 medical specialists and 63 nurses in Botswana. The Caribbean nation has 63 professors, including kindergarten teachers. The Vice President of Cuban Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration Noemi Benitez told Granma newspaper that the sixth session of the Joint Inter-governmental Commission will take place in Gaberone, Botswana in the year 2000.

Cuba To Introduce A Vaccine Against Leptospirosis

Havana, February 16(RHC)-- A Cuban vaccine against leptospirosis will soon be introduced by Cuba, after satisfactory laboratory results and tests on more than a quarter million people.

The vaccine's final approval is only pending efficacy tests that will determine its protection capacity. Those tests have already begun in Villa Clara province, in central Cuba, where health authorities have announced that the preparation will be administered to 75,000 people, ranging in age from 20 to 64 years.

Leptospirosis is transmitted by rodents, especially mice. The disease causes high fever and vomiting and can be fatal if not treated quickly. In some Latin American countries, it has acquired epidemic proportions.

The Cuban anti-leptospirosis vaccine is being developed by the Havana-based Finlay Institute. Tests connected with the vaccine have involved volunteers from the five Cuban provinces most affected by the disease.

Local production of an anti-leptospirosis vaccine will allow Cuba not only to substitute its importation but also to export some amounts abroad.

Feb 11, 1998: Havana- Cuba's Minister of Public Health, Doctor Carlos Dotres, told journalists in the Colombian capital that the island's achievements in the field of health have aroused great interest among participants at the 21st Meeting of Health Ministers of the Andean region, which opened Thursday in Bogota. Cuba is attending the Andean Health Summit as an observer. The group is formed by Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela -- nations that, according to the Cuban official, would like to develop their links with the island in the field of health. During his visit to Bogota, the Cuban health minister will meet with his Colombian counterpart, Maria Teresa Forero, and will exchange experiences with other ministers present at the encounter.

Havana- A new formula to cure vitiligo -- a skin disorder manifested by white spots on various parts of the body -- has been produced at the laboratories of Havana's Histotherapy Center. The formula uses melagenine -- a substance extracted from human placenta -- and consists of a lotion that is applied once-a-day. The application eliminates the need to expose the affected area to infrared light or sunshine. The new preparation will revolutionize current treatments for the disease, which causes patients to progressively lose the color of their skin in 1997, 2200 patients across the island received the services of the Havana center, while 770 patients from 55 countries also received the treatment. Likewise, doctors from around the world have received training at the center.

Havana- The Cuban Hotel and Tourism Workers Union donated one million dollars from tips for the island's health care system. This is part of the union's "My Contribution to Life" program, aimed at making donations to health care, primarily to cancer treatment for children. In 1996, workers donated 882,000 dollars to the program. In a recent interview, the head of the Cancer Pediatrics Services at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, Dr. Jesus Reno, stated that there are nearly 300 new cases of cancer reported every year in Cuba -- 70 to 80 percent of which are treated in his institution. Dr. Reno said that worker's donations and the Cuban government's contributions have helped increase the survival rate of children suffering from cancer. He added that tourism workers are going above and beyond the call of duty, since there's another contribution they make to maintain clean wards as well as to organize collective birthdays among hospitalized children.

Havana- A group of children suffering from brain paralysis and autism have been put under dolphin-assisted therapeutic treatment in the eastern province of Holguin. At present, two cases experiencing positive rehab process have been reported so far: a paralysis-stricken child who has started to give his first steps and a girl affected by autism who has been able to establish a brand new different demeanor.

Havana- A group of 42 South Africans arrived in the Cuban capital to begin medical studies in the central cities of Santa Clara and Sancti Spiritus. The newly arrived medical students will join another group of 12 South African students who began introductory Spanish classes this week. South African Health Ministry spokesman Vincent Hlongwane said the students were selected from rural areas. Meanwhile, a contingent of 69 Cuban doctors arrived in Pretoria, the South African capital, to work in hospitals in East Cape provinces, Orange Free State and Gauteng. Several hundred Cuban doctors have worked in that country over the past few years as part of a bilateral cooperation agreement. The doctors usually work in the country's rural areas.

Scientific Advances In Cuba Receive World Recognition

Brussels, January 28(RHC)-- Belgium's Economy and Foreign Trade Minister, J. Chabert, presented the Golden Cup to Cuban researcher Manuel Selman-Housein Sosa. The award was made at the 46th Innovation, Research and New Technologies Fair -- Eureka Brussels 97'.

Selman-Housein is a researcher at Havana's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center and one of the discoverers of a protein -- the P64k -- which has opened the way to developing new vaccines, including one against cancer. The Cuban discovery received second place among 759 exhibitors from 40 countries. The event's jury also granted two gold medals to the Cuban researcher.

The P64k protein is currently being used in a vaccine against Meningitis B -- and is now being tested in humans. It is also being used in a candidate vaccine against cancer.

The jury of the Eureka Fair took into consideration the social and economic impact of the patents presented in the fair, their creativeness and presentation. The patents for the P64k protein have already been granted to the United States, Europe, Australia, India and Argentina. Among the countries testing the P64k protein are Japan, Canada, Finland, Norway, Russia, Israel and Chile.

Vaccine Against Breast Cancer Being Tested In Cuba

Havana, January 20(RHC)-- Cuban scientists are carrying out clinical tests on a vaccine against breast cancer -- a disease on the rise in the world. The head of the Cuba Breast Cancer Program, Dr. Rolando Camacho, stated that the vaccine obtained by the Cuban experts is used as an immunological treatment method to control the ailment.

The scientific team taking part in the clinical studies hopes that the product will activate the affected women's immunological system to fight the development of cancerous tumors.

Health News From Cuba, 1999

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