Internationally, 29,833 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported, from 90 different countries (data as of 10 August 2022). Over the past week, the number of monkeypox cases reported has increased by 25%, and in the America’s the number of monkeypox cases reported increased by 41%. The total number of monkeypox deaths reported to WHO is 11. There were four deaths reported during the past week; one in Brazil, two in Spain and one in India.
Jamaica has reported three cases of monkeypox to date and the first two had recently travelled. However, the third case was locally-acquired, which means the individual had not recently travelled abroad and had no epidemiological link to the previous two cases.
There continue to be no known cases of monkeypox virus detected in the Cayman Islands, and there are no suspected cases currently being investigated.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease, which affects memory and cognitive skills. In the early stages, it can present as mild memory loss particularly for recently learned information, and in late stage can develop where individuals are unable to manage a conversation. Activities such as driving a car, cooking a meal or paying the bills can prove challenging to individuals with Alzheimer’s.It typically occurs among individuals over the age of 65 years. There is currently no cure available. Globally, Alzheimer’s disease is attributed to be the cause for 60-70% of dementia cases.
According to the recent 2021 Census in the Cayman Islands, 193 Alzheimer cases were reported in Cayman which was slightly higher in females than males, 111 cases compared to 82 cases. This equates to an incidence of 3 cases per 100,000 population. The most commonly reported difficulties in everyday life among individuals with Alzheimer’s were remembering or concentrating, walking or climbing stairs, and washing all over. There are no known approaches that have been shown effective in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. However, some factors such as increased physical activity, blood pressure control (among those with high blood pressures) and cognitive training may reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
The Public Health Spotlight is published weekly by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
For more information, contact
gis@gov.ky
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