BY LASHAWNA GRIFFITH

Prostate Cancer is one of the leading cancers in the Caribbean as there have been 1.3 million new cancer cases and 666,000 deaths were estimated to have occurred in 2018 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In an article published by the Pan American Health Organization, it stated that prostate cancer is a serious public health problem.

“Clearly, prostate cancer is a serious public health problem in the Caribbean, where a high incidence and mortality rates affect a predominantly black population with an ancestral, genetic predisposition to the disease. Many cultural and social norms are proving to be obstacles to prevention and control among Caribbean men.”

But why are Caribbean men falling susceptible to the effects of prostate cancer?

The argument can be made that many of the issues affecting Black Caribbean men date back to the hardships of slavery, and the diet of Black men in the Caribbean.

In an article titled Prostate Cancer in the Caribbean-African Community, it noted that African-Caribbean men have the highest risk of prostate cancer, which is the second most common male cancer worldwide.

 “In the UK, prostate cancer is the most common male cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer. In their current strategy, the UK Department of Health has addressed the impact of inequalities on cancer outcomes.

African-Caribbean ethnicity is a known risk factor for prostate cancer. Ethnic disparity in prostate cancer has become an important issue worldwide because of the higher incidence and mortality in the African Caribbean population. The National Cancer Institute defines ‘cancer health disparities’ as ‘adverse differences in cancer incidence (new cases), cancer prevalence (all existing cases), cancer death (mortality), cancer survivorship, and burden of cancer or related health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States.

The focus on identifying areas of research in ethnic disparity in prostate cancer is increasing. We have examined the current knowledge of epidemiological features and prostate cancer in the African-Caribbean community. African-Caribbean men have the highest risk of prostate cancer, which is the second most common male cancer worldwide. The authors present an overview of the epidemiology, genetic factors and disparities in the management of prostate cancer in the African Caribbean community.”

In the article, there is clear evidence of the difference in prostate cancer between Black and White men, as carried out in the research conducted by Niyukta Thakare and Frank Chinegwundoh.

“The management pathway of prostate cancer starts at the detection stage. Screening is a controversial issue and, although selective screening of high-risk groups seems reasonable, screening studies focused on ethnic minorities are lacking.

In the large screening trials, including the: Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, which constitute the existing evidence, ethnic groups including African-Caribbean men were under-represented. There is an ongoing argument for selective screening of African-Caribbean groups, and it remains to be seen whether it will become common practice. In the UK, the Prostate Cancer in Ethnic Subgroups (PROCESS) study investigated differences in prostate cancer between African-Caribbean and White men.

The study comprised a retrospective cohort of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the London and Bristol areas over a five-year period. It concluded that African-Caribbean men were at a substantially higher risk of developing prostate cancer compared to White men, especially in the younger age group.

Several studies, particularly in the US, have queried the differences in disease presentation, tumour stage and tumour burden among ethnic groups. A systematic review of these disparities revealed that African American men present at a younger age and also have higher-risk disease and higher humour volumes. Similarly, the management of low-risk disease in African-Caribbean men has also been scrutinized. There is increasing concern regarding the role of active surveillance in low-risk prostate cancer in African-Caribbean men.”

There is still a lot of research to be conducted on why African-Caribbean men are being diagnosed with prostate cancer in such high numbers.

However, for the month of November countries around the world are asking men to get their PSA test and their regular prostate exams as early detection can lead to unwanted deaths of men from prostate cancer.

BY LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH

July 2^nd is a day that is forever ingrained in my memory.

Why?

It was the day that Barbados was hit by a Tropical Storm that intensified to a Hurricane. It was the first hurricane to hit Barbados in sixty-five years.

It’s hurricane force winds struck my beautiful homeland leaving our island in darkness.

I remember it well; it was mid-morning, and I heard the wind howling in the trees, it woke me up. I remember listening to the wind and saying “Elsa is here!”

Initially, my mom asked me if we had any water coming through the windows but through the grace of God, we were fine, no damage. Our home was intact, and we were fine despite being without electricity for seven days after the storm hit my beautiful island. It left our picturesque paradise with fallen trees, palings, damaged roofs and lives that would never be the same.

In an article published by Barbados TODAY on July 3^rd, 2021, it noted that there were 1,178 initial reports of damage:

• 2- flooding
• 7- Water Damage
• 13- Roads Impassable
• 15- electric outage
• 15- roof leaks
• 60- fallen poles
• 62- houses collapsed
• 85- fallen trees
• 89- house damage
• 743- roof damage
• 87- with other concerns

Since then, there have been further reported cases of structural problems to Barbadian’s homes. In a press conference held by the Government of Barbados a few days after the passage of Hurricane Elsa, there were 2,372 issues reported to the Department of Emergency Management, with 1,333 persons reporting roof damage and 326 individuals reporting other damage.

As of July 13^th, 1,300 Barbadians were reported on the Barbados Light and Power Company to not have electricity in their homes.

Barbados was not the only country impacted by the fury of Tropical Storm Elsa, which has been confirmed as a Category One Hurricane.

In Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness in an article published with Nation News outlined that the impact of Tropical Elsa has been far reaching, and has cost the island $803 million Jamaican.

“The estimates for flood damage are very preliminary, as the storm ended on Sunday and the agency is continuing damage assessment to determine the cost for permanent repairs. The assessment, to date, is divided into two categories – cost to clean and clear roadways and drains of silt and debris and cost to make the roads accessible,” Holness told Parliament.

“Regarding the cost to clean and clear roadways and drains of silt and debris, the preliminary cost has been put at $443 million. Another $360 million will be required to make affected corridors accessible. We are, therefore, looking at a total cost of approximately $803 million,” he added.

Holness said these costs are based on equipment time using standard rates and materials for filling washed-out areas. He noted that these costs cover: road clearance, drain cleaning, creating access and patching, adding that no costs for rehabilitation and other permanent repairs are included.

“I must point out that the cost to clean and clear the roads and drains of silt and debris focuses on removing the physical obstacles on the roads and providing clear access for communities. Much of this has been done,” he said in an interview with Caribbean Media Corporation.

Moreover, the island of St. Lucia has sustained damage as well in a report by Caribbean Media Corporation. The Prime Minister Allen Chastanet estimated that the island suffered losses estimated at $34 million when the hurricane passed on Friday.

“The greatest amount of damage was in agriculture,” said Prime Minister Chastanet, flanked by Infrastructure Minister, Stephenson King and Agriculture Minister, Ezechiel Joseph.

Prime Minister Chastanet told the nation that Hurricane Elsa had also damaged several houses including the state-owned project in the heart of the capital, Castries.

Unfortunately, in St. Lucia individuals have died since the hurricane struck their country less than two weeks ago.

According to an article in the Associated Press, it is reported that one person has been reported dead in St. Lucia following Hurricane Elsa. In addition, a fifteen-year-old boy and a seventy-five-year-old woman died Sunday in separate events in the Dominican Republic after walls collapsed on them.

What is so heart-breaking about the reporting deaths in St. Lucia and Dominican Republic is that there was nothing the families could have done to save their loved ones.

Preaching about disaster management and prevention currently is insensitive. To these persons who lost their families, they will forever be reminded that less than two weeks ago a Tropical Storm that strengthened to a Hurricane took their loved ones from them and wreaked havoc in their homelands.

BY LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH

We have all heard the popular phrase, “It is not what you say but how you say it!” I believe this is especially true in the Caribbean. Many times we say things to others such as “Mi love ah browning, you dark as night, star-black, blackie chan etc,” without realizing that these phrases popular in the Caribbean are discriminatory and continue to perpetuate colourism.

This notion is why colourism in the Caribbean, which stems from the plantation society model, is still an on-going human rights issue because of how different colours of person are treated daily on the island.

In Jamaica, colourism is an issue throughout their community. The majority of Jamaican women find that the lighter they are the more they are accepted. Since the late 2000’s bleaching has been a common norm as Jamaican women think that they would be socially accepted in circles.

But why is colourism a human rights issue?

In an article by the United National Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner it stated that colourism leads to prejudice amongst persons of darker skin tones. “Sewell said that prejudice against darker skin tones has led to human rights challenges. Sewell recently launched a campaign in Jamaica to raise awareness of colourism among other human rights issues. The campaign called DarkSkinInJA uses social media to highlight the double standard and discrimination that happens to people with darker skin colour in Jamaica.”

The Jamaican Medical Doctor Association (JMDA) said that colour prejudice is one of the human rights concerns its members have noted in interactions between patients and medical staff.

“In a booklet issued in June 2019 called “Health Care The “Rights’ Way: Centering Human Rights in Patients’ Care,” the association noted that patients with lighter complexions are treated more favourably than those with darker hues when seeking medical attention at public hospitals and clinics. In addition, the prejudice encourages harmful practices such as skin bleaching which 11% of the country’s population undertakes.” 

In June 2020, residents took to Kingston Jamaica in a Black Lives Matter protest. The protesters argued that the victims of police brutality, namely Susan Bogle and Mario Deane, had two factors in common: they were poor and they were dark-skinned.

Because of this, colourism is not only a Caribbean issue but also a human rights issue because persons are being treated unfairly because of the colour of their skin. It is deeply rooted in countries all around the world as many countries have bought into the European standard of what is beautiful.

It is not only in Jamaica that there are issues of colourism. In March this year, the Duchess of Sussex claimed that a member of the Royal Family was concerned with the colour of her son’s skin, which sparked international outrage.

In an article written by The University of Alabama it argued that in India, young girls are trained from a young age that fairer skin is desirable. “For generations, the Indian society has been brainwashed into the ideology that fairer skin is more desirable leading to the nation developing a multibillion-dollar skin lightening industry.”

The article charges that popular international companies also enhance the ideal of “lighter” being better as they offer lightening creams and soaps that can allow individuals to become “desirable” because of their lighter complexion.

The question arising out of this is are these multibillion-dollar industries promoting a major human rights crisis across the world?

Is what they are doing legal?

Should they be held accountable for any mistreatment that a dark-skinned person receives?

Should they be seen as perpetrators of colourism?

If the United Nations sees it as a violation of one’s human rights, then should international leaders put a policy in place to handle the issues that pertain to colourism especially as it relates to subpar treatment in various sectors primarily health.