An official in the Ministry of Health said yesterday that the one case of malaria reported in Exuma on Monday may have been contracted on the island.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Delon Brennen said according to the information he received, the U.S. traveler who contracted the disease did so on the island because he did not visit any endemic country before visiting the Bahamas. Asked if there were any more people who had contracted the disease, Brennen said, “We don’t know yet. No one else has reported any symptoms. “It is very weird for one person to contract malaria. you have to have a source case somewhere.” Brennen said if a source case is not found the ministry would be a little more skeptical about if it was contracted on the island. According to Brennen, the person was staying in the George Town area, the same location previous victims contracted malaria in 2008 and 2006. “I don’t think the area in particular is the issue…the issue is…you having people who come into the area who have contracted malaria from some endemic country,”he said. the Nassau Guardian understands that government officials and hotel industry officials will meet today to discuss the recent case. Brennen noted that fogging has increased on the island. In 2006 four cases of malaria were recorded in the George Town area. all four of those cases were treated and the victims recovered, officials reported. On Monday, the Ministry of Health released a press statement on the latest case, noting that a team was mobilized to investigate. Brennen pointed out that unlike dengue fever, malaria could be treated. Malaria is not endemic in the Bahamas, but sporadic cases are encountered from time to time, the release noted. it is transmitted by the bite of the female anopheles mosquitoes.

A Madison lung cancer expert will be featured on a nationaltelevision health show Thursday.

Regina Vidaver, executive director of the National Lung CancerPartnership, based in Madison, was in New York City last month fora taping of “The Dr. Oz Show,” which airs weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m.on WISC-TV (Ch. 3).

Vidaver discussed how anybody can get lung cancer, whetherthey’ve smoked or not. 

“One of the messages was that lung cancer can occur in anyone,”she said. “The highest risk obviously are people with a significantsmoking history, but people who have already quit smoking remain atrisk for 20 years or more.”

Her segment was about 10 to 15 minutes and she was on with Dr.Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society,and two survivors, Vidaver said.

Lung cancer is the no. 1 cause of cancer deaths in the UnitedStates, killing more people than breast, prostate and colon cancercombined, with cigarette smoking causing 87 percent of lung cancerdeaths, according to the National Institutes of Health. 

Vidaver, who has a Ph.D. in molecular biology from theUW-Madison, was asked about some of the other causes of lung cancerbesides smoking, and talked about secondhand smoke and radonexposure. “And that a genetic predisposition is also unfortunatelyone of the bigger risk factors,” she said.

“We also talked about the different symptoms, particularly acough that won’t go away, if you cough up blood and unexplainedpain in the chest or shoulders,” Vidaver said.

Vidaver has been the group’s executive director since 2004.

BodyLogicMD Bioidentical Hormones Expert Arius Patolot, M.D. Joins Local Practice

NAPERVILLE, Ill.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–Naperville has long been hailed as one of the country’s most desirable communities to live in and the addition of bioidentical hormones expert Dr. Arius Patolot is just one more reason for residents to celebrate. Dr. Patolot joins fellow BodyLogicMD physician Michelle Schultz, M.D., at her Illinois-based bioidentical hormones practice, BodyLogicMD of Naperville to serve the growing number of local women and men seeking relief from the symptoms commonly associated with aging.

“Weight gain, fatigue, low libido, mood swings and depression, are just a few of the symptoms women and men experience as they age, but these and other issues are not necessarily limited to aging”

“Weight gain, fatigue, low libido, mood swings and depression, are just a few of the symptoms women and men experience as they age, but these and other issues are not necessarily limited to aging,” says Dr. Jennifer Landa, Chief Medical Officer of BodyLogicMD, the nation’s largest network of highly trained physicians specializing in bioidentical hormone therapy. “Many patients even in their 30s learn that an underlying hormonal imbalance may, in fact, be to blame. as bioidentical hormone therapy grows in popularity, the demand for physicians specializing in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and preventive care has increased dramatically. Fortunately for the Naperville community, Dr. Patolot is available to share his passion and expertise.”

Dr. Patolot partnered with BodyLogicMD to help women and men overcome health challenges brought on by hormonal imbalance and aging, often attributed to perimenopause, menopause and andropause (the male menopause). With the help of state-of-the-art hormone testing, Dr. Patolot can get an accurate reading of a patients hormone levels and assess the condition accordingly, using a combination of personalized nutrition and fitness regimens, pharmaceutical-grade supplements and bioidentical hormone therapy.

“As physicians, we can’t take all of the credit for our patients’ success,” says Patolot. “The women and men who experience the best results are the ones who want to change for the better and are willing to do what it takes. While I am pleased to be a part of their transformation, it takes a true partnership of physician and patient to achieve and maintain optimal health and wellness. as a part of the BodyLogicMD network, I’m thrilled to offer my patients the tools and guidance to do just that.”

More about Dr. Patolot

Arius Patolot, M.D. received his undergraduate from the University of St. Thomas, where he also completed his medical degree. After fulfilling his internship at Maimonides Hospital, Dr. Patolot completed his Residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Chicago, Schwab Rehab Hospital. Dr. Patolot is board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners and received the Top ten Physicians Award from Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, IL.

More about BodyLogicMD

Founded in 2003, BodyLogicMD physician-owned practices make up the nation’s largest and fastest growing network of the most highly trained physicians specializing in natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Integrated with fitness and nutrition programs, BodyLogicMD’s medically supervised programs are for men and women suffering from hormone imbalance associated with menopause and andropause. Also BodyLogicMD is currently featured as an expert resource on Oprah.com; Suzanne Somers’ latest bestselling books “Knockout: Interviews With Doctors who are Curing Cancer and How To Prevent getting it in The first Place” and “Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness” lists BodyLogicMD as an expert resource, and her book, “Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones” dedicates an entire chapter to BodyLogicMD. Florida Trend cover story December 2009, features BodyLogicMD as the national leaders in the growing anti-aging industry; BusinessWeek cover story March 2006, features the BodyLogicMD business start-up story.

Find bioidentical hormone doctors in your area and get more information about BodyLogicMD bioidentical hormone therapy programs.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Government’s chief medical officer, has written to all GPs and NHS hospitals warning of a “sharp increase” in the numbers of patients admitted to intensive care because swine flu has caused their lungs to fail.

The letter says pressures on critical care services are “significantly over and above” those expected at this time of year.

Crucially, the memo, written on Tuesday, says that while “half of patients requiring respiratory support have had recognised comorbidities [underlying health problems] which increase the risk for severe influenza, half have had no recognised comorbidities.”

A spokesman for the Department of Health (DoH) confirmed that the presence of so many previously healthy people among those worst affected by the virus was “unusual” and said anyone concerned about worsening flu-like symptoms should contact their GP.

While overall flu levels remain normal for this time of year, the rate of flu has more than doubled in just seven days, latest figures show.

The official death toll from flu this winter has now reached 17, including six children. Fourteen of the deaths were linked to swine flu, and none of those who died had been vaccinated against the virus.

In the same letter, the senior doctor says pregnant women, children, young adults, and those who are overweight are among the most severely ill.

Yesterday, Prof Davies criticised the Government’s decision to axe the annual publicity campaign urging people in at risk groups to have the seasonal flu jab, which protects against the main viruses in circulation, including swine flu.

Prof Davies said: “The Government took a decision not to use the marketing campaign this year. I would prefer to have done it because I believe in belt and braces. I am a doctor – I don’t like leaving things to chance.”

For the first time, the winter flu jab is being offered on the NHS to pregnant women, who were disproportionately affected by last year’s swine flu outbreak, as well as to elderly people and those with existing health problems.

Pregnant women are being advised to be immunised, no matter how far into their pregnancy they are, since they are thought to be more than four times more likely than others to develop serious complications if they contract swine flu.

The medical officer said the number of people seeing their GP because of flu was “bang in the range” for the season.

However, the sharp rise in all flu cases in seven days and the number of people below the age of 65 being admitted to hospital were reasons why the Government was examining the patterns carefully, she said.

GPs are worried that elderly people, who suffered less than younger people in last year’s swine flu pandemic, are failing to protect themselves against other strains of flu.

Vaccination rates among the elderly are down two per cent on last year, while among at risk groups, rates are down by 6 per cent.

In some parts of the country, pharmacists and hospitals are complaining of shortages of the drug used to treat the virus. Chemists and hospitals in Yorkshire were unable to track down supplies of Tamiflu, with NHS bosses describing “difficulties with the national supply chain”. The DoH said there was no national shortage of the drugs, and that any local delays “should be short-lived”.

Last night a pregnant woman was fighting for her life, after being put in a medical coma to save her and her unborn child.

Fallon Devaney, 25, from Derbyshire, a mother of four who is five months pregnant, was in intensive care in Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, after being admitted to hospital struggling to breathe.

Miss Devaney was taken to hospital on Tuesday after flu symptoms left her struggling to breathe. Since then, doctors have induced a medical coma, in an attempt to preserve her strength as her body battles the virus.

Her mother, Linda Fearney, said her daughter had not had the annual flu jab, and urged others in “at risk” groups to be vaccinated. she said: “She’s near death and it’s touch and go. We do not know if she’s going to survive.”

At least four more pregnant women with swine flu in England have undergone intensive care treatment. in Scotland, a woman with swine flu has been placed in a coma after giving birth to a daughter by caesarean section.

A spokesman for the DoH said GPs would be contacting patients in “at risk” groups to invite them to have the vaccination. he said: “It is vital that those at greatest risk are vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Anyone who did not know if they were in such a group should contact their GP, he said.