Archive for April, 2014
Parents urged to keep up vaccination protection
(CNS): With a 95% coverage rate on vaccinations against childhood diseases, Cayman has a high level of protection. However, officials are urging parents that have not kept their children’s shot schedule up to date to take advantage of the clinics provided this week to mark the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)'s 12th anniversary of Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA). Public Health staff will be contacting parents to schedule appointments for children with missed vaccinations. Dr Kiran Kumar, medical officer of health, said the Heath Services Authority only procures vaccines approved by PAHO and all vaccines used in Cayman are safe.
“They are administered in accordance with guidelines from the World Health Organisation and the Pan American Health Organisation,” he added.
VWA is observed from 26 April to 3 May, and this year’s theme, “Vaccination: your best shot” was chosen to encourage people to protect themselves and the region against the importation of polio, measles and other vaccine preventable diseases in other parts of the world, in light of the upcoming World Cup.
The health minister also urged parents to take advantage of the immunization programmes.
“I cannot over-emphasize the fact that immunization represents an important investment in the health of our children and protecting our future generation,” said Osbourne Bodden in his immunization week message. “If we do not remain vigilant with maintaining our immunization schedules, diseases we have already eradicated will ultimately return. I encourage everyone to check whether you or your family members have had all the vaccines needed and check for any boosters that may be required. Contact your health centre for advice or needed vaccines.”
Since its inception in 2003, more than 465 million individuals have been vaccinated during immunization week. The local Immunization Programme Coordinator, Nurse Angela Graham, said, “In the Cayman Islands, we continue to promote vaccination through advocacy, education and communication activities during this week."
Over the years the Public Health Department has developed and maintained a robust vaccination schedule for most vaccines. But Nurse Graham said there were still some children who don’t complete their vaccine schedule, leaving them at risk. Special clinics have been organized to assist any children with missed vaccinations and parents are urged to use this opportunity.
The current childhood immunisation schedule recommends that by the age of 15 months, infants should have received the following vaccines, which offer protection against 13 diseases:
- Three doses of Hepatitis B; (at birth, 6 weeks, 9 months)
- One dose of BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin – TB vaccine); (at 6 weeks)
- Three doses of Rotavirus ; (6 weeks, 4 months, 6 months)
- Three doses of the combined DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough), IPV (inactivated polio vaccine) and Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b) at 2, 4, 6 months)
- Three doses Pneumococcal vaccine (Prevnar) at 2, 4, 6 months
- One dose of Varicella (chickenpox) & booster of Pneumococcal (at 12 months)
- One dose of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella); & a booster dose of combined DTaP and Hib (at 15 months).
Children also need booster doses of combined DTaP and IPV and 2nd dose of MMR at school entry (4-5 years). For children 6 months and older and all adults, an annual Influenza vaccine is recommended. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is offered to 11-12 year old girls and older children if they did not get vaccinated at this age.
In addition to the childhood immunization, vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases for adults are also available, including boosts for tetanus and diphtheria and the annual influenza vaccine.
For information regarding immunizations contact your private pediatrician or the following District Health Centres:
- Public Health Department: 244-2648
- West Bay Health Centre: 949-3439
- Bodden Town Health Centre: 947-2299
- East End Health Centre: 947-7440
- North Side Health Centre: 947-9525
- Faith Hospital, Cayman Brac: 948-2243
- Little Cayman Clinic: 948-0072
Walk in Clinics on a first come first serve basis for children with missed vaccinations have been scheduled as follows:
West Bay Health Centre: 30 April 8:30am – 1:00 p.m.
Bodden Town Health Centre: 30 April and 2 May 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m
Public Health Clinic, CI Hospital: 2 May 8:30 am – 2:00 p.m.
Childhood Immunization Schedule and Facts on Vaccine Preventable Disease are attached below.
EY gets $155K to review PS
(CNS): Government is about to spend over $155,000 dollars on another review of the public sector to see what services could be sold off, delivered in partnership with the private sector or streamlined to be more efficient and to review the reviews. In a statement released on Friday by the Portfolio of the Civil Service, officials announced that Ernst & Young had been selected following a competitive tender to carry out the latest assessment in what was described as phase five of the rationalization programme regarding the goal to slim down government and the civil service in general.
With over 80 core-government entities and 25 statutory authorities and government companies, as well as numerous boards, committees and commissions, portfolio officials acknowledged the growth of government, which, it said, was due in part to the fact that historically it had to provide most public services as there was no alternative because Cayman did not have a mature private sector.
However, with more than 3,000 people working in public authorities, a budget of over half a billion dollars a year, burgeoning public sector debt, and a tax burden that the sluggish economy is struggling to carry, the pressure to slim down has increased significantly over the last five years or more but expectations among the public and the regulatory requirements of the private sector make cuts easier said than done.
“The Cayman Islands economy has grown considerably and the government seeks to evaluate opportunities to engage the private sector where this would result in improved service delivery and greater efficiency,” officials stated in a release from the portfolio on Friday evening.
In what will be another one of countless reviews and reports about government efficiency, or lack thereof, costs, duplication and what needs to change, Ernst & Young will receive a fee of CI$155,000.00 plus undisclosed expenses. The firm will undertake what was described as a “strategic overview of the public service and identify those functions that would better be carried out with private sector involvement,” officials stated.
The management consultant will also assess those recommendations which have not yet been implemented arising from prior internal and external reports – of which there are many. EY will also review the number of bespoke government entities to identify ways to streamline government’s structure and what could be realistically sold off where a fair market exists. The review also requires the consultants to develop a roadmap for execution.
Officials did not specify how long the process would take but stated that it would include stakeholder consultation and that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is assisting by providing strategic advice.
Detention centre beefs up security
(CNS): Following the escape this morning of thirty Cuban migrants from the immigration detention centre in Fairbanks, George Town the Ministry of Home Affairs said Friday evening that it has enhanced the security. All of the migrants that escaped have now been rounded up and officials said that calm has now been restored following the incident in which rocks were thrown at security guards and their dogs. There are presently 30 Cuban migrants at centre who were disgruntled over the length of time that it has taken for them to be processed to return to Cuba. The men had reportedly jumped over the fence in the sixth break out so far this year.
“All individuals have been recaptured,” the ministry stated in a release Friday evening once the migrants had all returned. “Meanwhile to ensure public safety, Immigration authorities, in collaboration with the Police and Prison Services, will work to supplement the efforts of the private company which is responsible for security at the IDC.”
Yasmany Gonzalez Rodriguez, who escaped in March and who officials believe is being protected locally is the only remaining migrant not to have been rounded up.
Cops charge booze burglar suspect
(CNS): The 45-year-old local man arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of burglary of a local restaurant on the West Bay Road in the early hours of 24 April has been charged in connection with that crime and an earlier robbery at a liquor store in the same area. The RCIPS said the man was due to appear in summary court on Friday afternoon. He has been charged with breaking into Karma Restaurant at West Shore Plaza, at around 3:15am yesterday and stealing liquor from the premises as well as an earlier burglary at Pemier Wines in the same plaza on 11 April where booze was also stolen.
Lower Valley heap fire burns out safely
(CNS): Officials from the Cayman Islands Fire Service have confirmed that a heap fire in Lower Valley on Thursday night was safely contained by the fire service and burned out in around five to six hours. Firefighters said that the primary truck on the scene identified that no property was at risk and the wind conditions made it clear that it did not constitute a danger to anyone or anything. As a result, with an eye on water conservation and sensible resource management, fire officers took action to contain the blaze but then allowed it to burn out rather than waste water trying to extinguish the blaze.Photo by Rosie McNamee
Cubans throw rocks at detention centre security
(CNS): A group of thirty Cuban migrants currently detained at the Immigration detention centre in Fairbanks, George Town escaped Friday morning by jumping over the fence and throwing rocks at the guards as they fled. Officials confirmed that most of the men who broke out at around 8:20am were recaptured, but at lunchtime three men remained at large. It is understood that as the men threw rocks at both the security staff and their dogs one guard was hit by one of the missiles but he was not injured. There have been several escapes from the centre in recent weeks which is patrolled by private security and not law enforcement officials.
The centre had been housing dozens of Cubans recently as a result of a surge in numbers of migrants forced to land in the last few weeks. Although some 32 were deported over the last two weeks, the thirty men, most of whom had arrived this month, are still awaiting processing.
Following a number of recent escape since the beginning of the year most of the men were recaptured but Yasmany Gonzalez Rodriguez, is still on the run and officials believe he is still in the Cayman Islands being harboured with support of residents here which the authorities have ben quick to emphasise is a crime.
Although there appears to be no specific reason for the increase in the the number of migrants passing and then often having to disembark in Cayman the problems at the detention centre are down to the increase in the amount of time it is taking to process and deport the migrants.
This appears to be as a result, officials have stated, of the time it is taking for the Cuban authorities to clear the repatriations and communicate that to the British Embassy in Havana and then relay the information to the Cayman authorities.
No quotas for new residents
(CNS): The chief officer in the Home Affairs Ministry has said that government does not have a set figure or target when it comes to the number of people who get permanent residency but it does care about the profile of the people who will eventually go on to be Caymanian. Eric Bush said the new process for PR applicants is more difficult but it is also much clearer and the aim is to ensure that those who now get through are financially stable and community minded people who want to integrate. Concerns that some past approvals were not able to pay the fees drove government to look at profiles rather than quotas.
Speaking on Cayman 27’s political interview show, The Panel, with Tammi Sulliman this week,Bush made it clear that the government is far more concerned with the quality of people who stay rather than the quantity. Denying that the government was focusing on the rich elite, he said community minded people who cared about the best interests of Cayman were the target but admitted that they must be financially stable and able to sustain themselves.
“What’s clear to me is that government wanted to address the anomalies we were seeing in the system,” he said, adding that people were getting permanent residency when they were not stable. “There have been cases where people were going to the department of children and family services and asking for money to pay their PR fees.”
He said government wanted a system that puts a stop to that as those who get PR must be able to provide for themselves and their families and not become a burden in future on government. But he also emphasised the need for individuals to be integrated into the local community and not pose a threat or risk to Cayman.
“There is no road map to figures,” Bush said on the show on Tuesday evening. “It’s not that easy to say that we need X amount of people. We can’t be that prescriptive. We need to be objective and transparent and listen to business and their needs and regulate but let the private sector manage the growth.”
He said he did not think government could manage the size of the population but what it could do was shape the population. “I don’t know if there can be a set number as we grow but we know what we want the population to look like, which is what government is showing with the new PR process. We have made it clear what individuals need to do,” Bush added.
Bush explained that expat workers can now look ahead and know that if they want to stay they need to get 110 points and they can see how they can achieve those points via the new lists of requirements, including the work and education level, their earnings and investments and their community involvement.
Denying that the new controversial PR test was too difficult, the chief officer admitted some of the questions were “obscure and irrelevant” and he had directed a few changes. Bush said in March that of the 140 people who had taken the test so far, the average score was 63% and some people had even achieved 100%.
Despite reports that the backlog for applications under the old system was cleared, Bush also revealed that there were over 220 still to be dealt with, some going back as much as five years, but the board was expecting to have those completed within one month. Thereafter, the focus will be on the new applications made since October, of which Bush said there were more than 100.
Trimaran wins 50th Easter Regatta
(CISA): The largest fleet in recent years took to the waters on Good Friday for the 50th anniversary of the Easter Regatta Round the Island Race. The combined Cruiser and J22 fleet headed out from North Sound, headed east to East End and then along the south coast to finish off Sunset House. On Saturday they completed the circumnavigation by racing from Sunset House back to North Sound via North West Point. The Friday race was a pursuit race where boats started at different times according to their handicaps.
The slower boats set off at 7.30 in the morning and tried to stay ahead of the chasing faster boats. RogerNelson’s brand new trimaran, a Dragonfly 28, was the fasted rated boat and started last but showed why it is so highly rated by charging through the fleet over the 41 nautical mile course to take first place with a time of 7 hours and 45 minutes. Bruce Johnson’s “Blue Runner” was second and Donald McLeans “Radium” took third place.
The J22 fleet saw Mike Farrington’s “Just Leaving” take first place after a grueling nine hour race, just 8 minutes ahead of Eduardo Bernal’s “Calima”. Mark Macfee was third in “Moon struck”.
“It was such an experience to be sailing with so many other boats around you” explained Cruiser Rep, Rob Hutchison. “Round the Island is a long race and sometimes you can feel pretty isolated but this year the light winds and large fleet meant that you felt like you were sailing in company”.
The Race back on Saturday saw “Blue Runner” exact revenge on “Nelson & Co” in the cruiser fleet, whilst “Moonstruck” were overall winners on handicap.
Race sponsors, Harbour House Marina donated generous prizes and trophies for the winners. Special trophies were also awarded to the top Cruiser and top J22 in memory of Mark Clarke. The handsome trophies were designed by Eduardo Bernal and donated by Peter Cunningham and were a fitting tribute to Mark who had raced and won the round the island so many times in his sailing career.
The Prize giving at Sunset House was attended by a large number of sailors and friends who were all in festive spirit. “It’s always great to see a big fleet for the major race in the sailing calendar and although some boats lost the wind late in the day and had to retire, the taking part in a long distance race always brings a sense of achievement” reported CISC Manager Rick Caley. “Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Cayman Islands Sailing Club and so we hope that the Easter regatta will be even larger. Many thanks to all those who support us including Race Committee, who get up so early on the first day of the holiday to go out and set boats on their way and our sponsors Harbour House Marina”
For more information on Cruiser racing check out www.sailing.ky or contact admin@sailing.ky
Customs arrested six in weekend airport drug bust
(CNS): During a targeted operation at Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town over the Easter Weekend officers arrested six people on various drugs charges and also handed out a number of administrative fines for duty evasion as the new enforcement regime swung into action. The first arrests took place on Thursday afternoon when a 25-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man were arrested during profiling of passengers from San Andres, a small island of the mainland of Colombia. Officers found a large quantity of what was suspected to be cocaine hidden in electronic devices and in pairs of shoes. Both have now been charged with possession & importation of cocaine and remanded in custody.
According to customs officials, investigators arrested two others, a 52-year-old female and 23-year-old male, on suspicion of being concerned in the possession and importation of substance resembling cocaine, but the two were bailed as the investigation continues.
In an unrelated incident on the same day, a local man who had arrived home on a flight from Kingston, Jamaica, was also arrested for importation and possession of suspected drugs when customs officers found he was carrying vegetable matter resembling ganja. He was released on bail following his court appearance this week.
Customs officials continued their targeted operations through the weekend, and on Easter Monday, 21 April, another female passenger who arrived on the San Andres flight was searched and white powder resembling cocaine was found in the wooden support slats of three hammocks the woman was carrying. The woman was arrested and has since been formally charged with possession and importation of cocaine and has been remanded in custody.
Collector of Customs Samantha Bennett commended her officers for what she said was outstanding work and dedication to duty over the weekend.
“At a time when many persons were enjoying the Easter weekend, my officers were concentrating on protecting our borders,” the customs boss stated. “We have the Cayman Islands at heart and want to make our communities safer for everyone.
“This operation clearly demonstrates how a well-coordinated operational response can be successful in stopping drugs reaching the streets of the Cayman Islands and causing devastation in our communities. We would continue to urge anyone who has information concerning the importation of drugs, ammunition or firearms to contact us via the confidential tip-lines available,” she added.
While officers were focused on drug interdiction, they were not neglecting the importation of legal goods and were on the lookout to ensure people were paying the required duty on goods they were bringing in. Administrative fines were given to many people who had undeclared goods inconsistent with the declaration of articles on arrival.
Information on smuggling can be passed on the new HM Customs tip-line 1-800- 534-8477 or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS) or email address tell.us@customs.gov.ky
5yrs for mom in driving death
(CNS): A visiting judge handed down a severe sentence in a death by dangerous driving case Thursday. Dorlisa Piercy, who is currently breast feeding her young baby, was given a five year jail term following her conviction for causing the death of Karen Edwards in an East End road smash in August 2011. Edwards, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, was seven months pregnant when she was thrown from the car and killed in the high speed crash in which Piercy and the front passenger also received severe injuries. Piercy claimed she wasn't the driver and had denied the charges but she was found guilty by Justice Carol Beswick during a trial earlier this year. Despite Piercy's circumstances, the judge handed down the long prison term and a driving disqualification.
The 26-year-old mom will now be separated from her baby, and Justice Beswick acknowledged the suffering of the baby, who will be separated from its mother, but she said it was as a result of Piercy’s choices.
Piercy had persistently denied being the driver, stating that the owner of the car, Priscilla Smith, had been at the wheel when the accident happened. However, during the trial the court heard that Smith was cut out of the car at the scene from the front passenger side. The judge found that Piercy was the driver and found her guilty of causing death by dangerous driving
As a result Piercy was not given any credit on the five year sentence. A social enquiry report revealed that since giving birth, Piercy had turned her life around and become a dedicated mother who is in a relationship with the baby's father. However, despite this and several good character witnesses, as well as a number of other mitigating factors, the judge did not go easy on the new mom.
Justice Beswick said that after balancing the mitigating factors, which included a short period of bad driving, the fact that she was young at the time and that she too was badly injured, against the aggravating factors, including the speed, the vulnerability of Karen Edwards as an expectant mother and that Piercy had previous speeding violations, she felt the sentence was appropriate. The judge pointed to what she said was a lack of remorse, as to this day Piercy continues to deny being at the wheel and causing the death of her friend.
In addition to the five year jail term, the judge also imposed a five year driving ban on Piercy to begin when she is eventually released from custody.
Compared to a number of recent similar death by dangerous driving cases, the sentence is one of the longest to be handed down. With no discount as a result of the trial, the judge also found that the circumstances of the case placed it in a higher category, with a recommended starting point of five years.
Piercy was taken into custody for the first time following her long bail since the crash almost three years ago, in which she too was critically injured and only just survived. Following the judge’s decision, it was an emotional goodbye for Piercy and her family.
Defence attorney Lucy Organ from Samson McGrath declined to confirm if she would be appealing the sentence.