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

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.

BY LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH

Two years after category five Hurricane Dorian rocked the Abaco Islands, the small island is still coming to grips with the adverse impact it has had on the lives of Bahamians.

The panel discussion, held by the Centre of Biosecurity Studies at the University of The West Indies, was under the theme of Stories of Disaster Recovery Voices From Hurricane Dorian It was held on May 19^th, 2021. The Honorable Adrian Gibson (Executive Chairman, The Barbados Water and Sewerage Corporation), said that to date the damage from Hurricane Dorian is valued at 3.4 billion.

“This was a grand disaster in the history of the Bahamas resulting in at least seventy-seven recorded deaths, with some still missing and the question recording the true number of missing among our large patient immigrant communities. Thousands of homes destroyed, businesses displaced, and many thousands displaced and total damage of some 3.4 billion USD,” he said.

Gibson gave a brief report of the challenges the water and sewage ministry faced in the first two months after the all clear was given on September 5^th, 2019.

“Challenges faced during this period included staffing. As I outlined previously, due to the severity of the damage, many of our Abaco staff had to be relocated to New Providence as this meant that we had to fly in other temporary staff from other islands for short durations.

The other challenge was housing. In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, it was very challenging to find suitable housing for our temporary staff. Our first waves of post-storm personnel had to use our generators and non-damaged apartments we were able to source with some having to sleep in our offices.

Another challenge was transportation as with no stores open, all of our supplies had to be moved by air or sea with others competing for those same supplies and logistical routes. Many of our vehicles had storm-related damage and it was difficult to locate rental vehicles as many were destroyed and or damaged. Communication also posed another challenge.”

The Member of Parliament for Long Island said that the overall initial damage to the Water and Sewage system is estimated to cost between 15-20M USD and that the amount has since increased by a further 13-15M USD.

Gibson said that the country is still seeking to rebuild two years post-Hurricane Dorian and that they have had recent challenges with their rebuilding exercise as they had some stoppages due to the onset of COVID-19.

“The principal challenge during this challenge – in addition to those outlined – was the onset of the global pandemic in March 2020, and its impact on national and global finances, commerce, movement and supply chains. National priorities have to be realigned to match the national fall of Government revenue and the [significant] increase in our social systems.”

Moreover, he noted that the combined effect of Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19 resulted in an 80% decline in the amount of cash donations they received, which was the second-largest revenue source after New Providence.

The Executive Chairman of the Barbados Water and Sewerage Corporation said that one of the initiatives of the Bahamas Water and Sewerage Corporation was to ensure that the potable water systems in his country could withstand 200 MPH.

“All sewage systems in Abaco must be built stronger. Some of the initiatives implemented include that all new portable storage tanks must be designed to take 200 MPH winds when empty. All new buildings must be elevated. New standby generators must be installed on elevated cliffs. Water mains along coastal roads must be installed on the opposite end of the roadway. Each standby generator must have a minimum of five days of fuel stored.”

Gibson was one of the panelists on a panel discussion which included Dr. Ancilleno Davis who is the Principal and CEO of Science and Perspective and Head of Mission, Embassy of Barbados Caracas Commander Aquinas Clarke. The panel discussions are held quarterly.