Communicable diseases are diseases that spread from person to person or from animals to humans. Learn about various communicable diseases below and about what the IFRC and our National Societies do to keep communities around the world healthy.
“You doh ever want to become the latest victim of Zika, Guillain Barre Syndrome, dengue or chikungunya, so cover up, take some time and do some clean up.” Catchy, melodic and accompanied by the sweet sounds of steelpan it sounds like the beginnings of an interesting calypso but a conversation with the singer reveals that it is much more than that. It is a jingle, it is a plea to the listener, most importantly it is a lesson to be heeded. Ajamu is a name with African/Nigerian origins that means ‘a man that fights for what he wants’, therefore it should come as no surprise that Edson Mitchell, better known as Ajamu, fought for his life. The nine-time Calypso King of Grenada was one of the persons infected with the Zika Virus who subsequently developed Guillain Barre Syndrome. According to The Mayo Clinic, “Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome is a rare disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms. These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing your whole body.” The Mayo Clinic further states that “the exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome is unknown. But it is often preceded by an infectious illness. There's no known cure. Most people recover from Guillain-Barre syndrome, though some may experience lingering effects from it, such as weakness, numbness or fatigue.” August 16th, 2017 is a date Ajamu will never forget as it was when he fell ill but to tell the truth he had been feeling unwell long before that. Plagued daily by extraordinary headaches since March or April, he simply took medication and thought little of it. Scheduled to perform in Toronto in mid-August he booked a flight to Canada. The day of the flight he woke early, as most travellers do, but paid no mind to the strange sensation in his hands. It was a sign of things to come, however, as he found himself in the airport in his home slippers, an unusual mistake that should have indicated that something was wrong, but he just laughed off the wardrobe fail. It was during the flight when he experienced what he described as” the worst headache of my life” that he made the decision to see a doctor. By that time it was too late, when the plane landed he had to be hospitalised as his legs would no longer support his body. This first hospitalisation was followed by two more stints as he was released despite having really high blood pressure. It was his wife Lucy who came to Toronto and took him back to their home in Virginia, even though it was deemed risky for him to fly. After two days and a battery of tests Ajamu finally had his diagnosis. It was Guillain Barre Syndrome. This was a disease about which he had never heard so it was his daughter, a Nurse, who did some research and educated him. Almost two years later he still gets emotional while talking about it because there was one particularly difficult night where he essentially gave up. He is of the firm belief that he would not be here today if not for the grace of God and the support of his ‘biggest blessing’, Lucy. Ajamu has regained his mobility fully however he is experiencing the lingering effects. He is easily fatigued and his is memory and eyesight never really returned to their previous states. He also notes his smile is not the same. The good news is that his greatest fear did not come to pass and he has the use of his hands as all his fine motor skills have returned. In fact his band members say that he is a better musician now than he was before. It may sound strange to some but for this sound engineer and self-taught musician, life in a wheelchair would have been preferable to life without the ability to play music. He professed, “I don’t know what my life would be if I wasn’t able to play music again”. Even though he is now back on his beloved instruments he isn’t 100% recovered as he expected to be by now. Cold temperatures affect him so he has to take this into consideration now when scheduling his performances. Acceding to a request to sing a jingle for the Grenada Red Cross to help in the fight against the Aedes Egypti mosquito was no hardship for him, as, making music is what he does. That he would take it a step further and shoot a video to raise awareness, (his suggestion) about the required behaviour change is somewhat surprising. “My greatest love is for God and humanity. God is humanity,” is the rationale he proffers. If one were to look at humanity through a Red Cross lens his motivation aligns perfectly with the first fundamental principle. That he would not wish his experience on his worst enemy and would do anything to prevent it from happening to anybody else reflects a desire to prevent and alleviate human suffering as well as protect life and health. Ajamu’s perspective on his experience is one that harkens back to a saying by his grandmother that goes, ‘better to light a candle than cuss the darkness.’ Instead of bemoaning the cards he was dealt he chooses to spread a message. He believes it is his responsibility to educate people, that this is his purpose, the reason that he is still here. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) predicts that the Caribbean will see a return of dengue, which is also spread by the Aedes Egypti mosquito, in the near future and Erin Law, Global Zika Advisor, explains that these diseases, Zika, dengue and chikungunya, are “expected to be cyclical, that it is expected that there will be an outbreak again”, therefore we must be prepared. Ajamu hopes that if people can learn one thing from his experience it would be to not to take anything for granted because life is very fragile. He would encourage Grenadians and persons from the Caribbean to minimise opportunities for the mosquito to breed even though “mosquitos and humans have to co-exist”, he says with a smile. Watch the video here.
The Grenada Red Cross Society (GRCS) is currently working in thirty-two communities in Grenada to educate the population and raise awareness about mosquito-borne diseases like Zika, dengue and chikungunya. It is by no means an easy task as the team is small. Nevertheless, they get it done as they recognise the importance of the work they are doing. Avion Baptiste, Community Facilitator with the Vector Borne Disease Prevention Project, especially enjoys seeing “the joy and fulfilment on faces when you would have done an activity or shared information that people find useful.” Avion is bubbly and full of enthusiasm so it’s no surprise that she also loves “working with the community so that they can see what they can become with our help.” Enlightened. Engaged. Empowered. That is what communities become after interacting with the Grenada Red Cross. This is evidenced by the fact that the community of Bellevue has established a steering committee to tackle the issues raised by community members. Manager of the Zika Response and Prevention Project in the Caribbean, Abdul Nasir Khan, was very impressed by this fact on his field visit there. “Amazing” was how he described a wall presentation done by the residents of Bellevue in response to an assessment of their health needs. Despite the fact that there is a lot of division in Bellevue and many of its residents don’t agree, the committee is determined to chart a way forward. Mon Toute is another community in Grenada that has felt the effect of the Grenada Red Cross and the persistence of its Zika Team. It is a place that visitors are warned not to go because of the high crime and drugs. It is also an area that was experiencing serious problems with dumping. However, after the intervention of the GRC, the land that was being used in a way that was creating a problem was cleaned and was transformed into a useful solution - it is currently being used to plant produce. The consequences of the dumping went beyond environmental and health concerns, it also caused contention in the community. One gentleman refused to come out and participate in the clean up activity declaring, “the people too nasty!” Never daunted, the team cajoled him and the end result? He came and cleaned the most. In fact, he took up a leadership position and became the mastermind of the effort. The phenomenon that occurred in La Tante is perhaps a final testimony on the impact of the Grenada Red Cross. As the field officers conducted their initial assessment, they were approached by the young men of La Tante who requested that they return and provide information and education on particular health issues plaguing their community. The team facilitated this request and, owing to the size of the community, did two presentations on Zika, prostate cancer and the signs of a heart attack. Bellevue, Mon Toute, La Tante, places with names that speak to the history of Grenada but that are experiencing the problems of modern times. It augurs well then that they all have residents who are determined to do better and be better. This desire for improvement does not stop at assessments and presentations. Instead, supported by the Grenada Red Cross, these residents and those in the other twenty-nine communities, will develop a plan of action that identifies the steps they must take to address their issues and to secure their future.
They jumped on the grass, on the stage, in the stands, in their strollers and even in the arms of their parents. The children who participated in the 63rd edition of the Children’s Carnival, put on by the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society (TTRCS), thoroughly enjoyed themselves, some more than others. Taking place on the last Saturday in February the day began as an overcast one and it seemed like it would literally rain on the parade. However, by the time the festivities began in earnest, the dark clouds had dissipated and only an occasional drizzle gave respite from the blistering Carnival sun. The costumes sparkled and swayed as children as young as three and as old as sixteen strutted their stuff in front of the judges who included an actress, an artist and a former Miss World. There was even a category for babes in arms and the tiny tots stole the hearts of all present as they showed that culture had no age limit. There were dragons and temples and samurai and steelpan, warriors and sailors, devils and butterflies. There was a unique category this year as the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society sought to use culture to disseminate information. The Zika Category was a vector-borne or mosquito themed costume that had to showcase the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Extra points were awarded for the use of recycled material, natural materials or a combination of both. There were a few who took up the challenge and this saw twin brothers portraying ‘Must-keith-toe 1’ and ‘Must-keith-toe 2’. ‘The Defeat of the Egypti’ and ‘An Armour For Aedes’ were two other costumes in the Zika category. There were several depictions that used recycled material, ‘Bottlemania’ was constructed entirely out of plastic bottles, and there also was ‘Recycle Party’, ‘Madam Recycle’ and ‘Save the Environment, Recycle It.’ The TTRCS kept the learning going by hosting a booth where the children could participate in two Zika games. The first was a life size board game called ‘Zap That Mosquito’ where the aim is to get points and move to the end by correctly answering questions about Zika. The second game was higher tech as it immersed the players in a virtual reality world where they had to kill mosquitos on a large screen. Both went over well as children clamoured for a chance to play and some got caught up in the excitement. The Red Cross Children’s Carnival is a staple on the Carnival calendar and is anticipated by the young and old. Initially, it began as a fund raiser for the Northern Branch of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society but it has evolved over the years to one of the few main events in Trinidad Carnival that caters to children. It is planned by a committee and executed with the help of volunteers. The money raised has been used to help the National Society defray operations costs, purchase vehicles, including ambulances, provide training, assist fire victims as well as the vulnerable and conduct outreach. The proceeds obtained in 2019 will go towards the implementation of a peer-to-peer initiative called Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change (YABC). This youth development programme seeks to foster leadership in youth by empowering them to be more active in their schools and communities.
