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A team of scientists – Plant Pathologists, Dr Rob Reeder and Phil Taylor, and Entomologist, Dr Norbert Maczey, from the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), as well as Professor Rob Jackson and PhD student, Amy Webster, from the University of Birmingham Institute of Forest Research – are currently on-Island supporting the Environment, Natural Resources & Planning Portfolio and the St Helena Research Institute with the delivery of a Darwin Plus funded project.
St Helena’s endemic trees, insects as well as food crops, fruit and forest trees are threatened by unidentified introduced diseases caused by a range of organisms including bacteria, fungi and viruses, or changes to diseases that are endemic to the Island, through climate change.
The team of scientists are the lead project partner in the Darwin Plus funded Project (DPLUS157) ‘Managing the pathogens threatening St Helena’s biodiversity and food security’. This is a three-year project which aims to collate all existing records and knowledge about the plant diseases that have been found on St Helena that affect our food crops, fruit trees, forestry trees, and endemic plants – primarily the cabbage trees of the Cloud Forest. The Project seeks to identify unidentified or unrecorded diseases that are found here and are causing problems or cause for concern, build capacity locally to identify plant diseases and find solutions to manage priority diseases, notably those that may threaten the Island’s food security and Cloud Forest trees.
If you would like further information about the Project or have crops that show signs of disease that you are concerned about, please contact Martina Leo on tel: 24724 or email: martina.leo@sainthelena.gov.sh or Rebecca Cairns-Wicks via email: rebecca.cairns-wicks@sainthelena.gov.sh.
#StHelena #DarwinPlus #AltogetherGreener
SHG
2 March 2022
The Statistics Office has today released new estimates of average incomes from full-time employment for the 2020/21 financial year. The estimated median annual before-tax wage rose to £8,880, an increase of 1.5% compared to the previous year when price inflation is taken into account. This is a small increase year-on-year, but average wage levels are still lower than they were in 2016/17 and 2017/18.
Chart 1. Median annual gross wages from full-time employment, 2012/13 to 2020/21, in constant 2020/12 prices (i.e. adjusted for price inflation)
The median is the usual measure of average incomes or wages, because it is less sensitive to small numbers of relatively high wage earners in a population than the mean, which is the more common method used in other statistics. A median wage level of £8,880 means that, for 2020/21, half of gross wages from locally-recruited employment were less than £8,880, and half were higher.
The estimates are derived from records maintained by the Income Tax Office using methodology consistent with previous releases. Only incomes from employment above an analysis cut-off (set around the level of a single-person Income Related Benefit) are included; any income from self-employment and investment is excluded. Incomes of persons employed by St Helena Government following international recruitment (known as Technical Cooperation Officers) are not considered typical and so are also excluded from the statistics on incomes.
More detailed statistics on incomes, including the differences between lower and higher paid employees, and between men and women, are available in the latest Statistical Bulletin, found on the St Helena Government website here: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Stats-Bulletin-2022-02-Wages Detailed data can be accessed in Excel format from the ‘Incomes’ file at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics/
#StHelena #Statistics #AverageIncome #Wages #StatsNews
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SHG
2 March 2022
The Statistics Office has today released new estimates of average incomes from full-time employment for the 2020/21 financial year. The estimated median annual before-tax wage rose to £8,880, an increase of 1.5% compared to the previous year when price inflation is taken into account. This is a small increase year-on-year, but average wage levels are still lower than they were in 2016/17 and 2017/18.
Chart 1. Median annual gross wages from full-time employment, 2012/13 to 2020/21, in constant 2020/12 prices (i.e. adjusted for price inflation)
The median is the usual measure of average incomes or wages, because it is less sensitive to small numbers of relatively high wage earners in a population than the mean, which is the more common method used in other statistics. A median wage level of £8,880 means that, for 2020/21, half of gross wages from locally-recruited employment were less than £8,880, and half were higher.
The estimates are derived from records maintained by the Income Tax Office using methodology consistent with previous releases. Only incomes from employment above an analysis cut-off (set around the level of a single-person Income Related Benefit) are included; any income from self-employment and investment is excluded. Incomes of persons employed by St Helena Government following international recruitment (known as Technical Cooperation Officers) are not considered typical and so are also excluded from the statistics on incomes.
More detailed statistics on incomes, including the differences between lower and higher paid employees, and between men and women, are available in the latest Statistical Bulletin, found on the St Helena Government website here: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Stats-Bulletin-2022-02-Wages.pdf Detailed data can be accessed in Excel format from the ‘Incomes’ file at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics/
#StHelena #Statistics #AverageIncome #Wages #StatsNews
https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/
SHG
2 March 2022
St Helena Authorities received a request from fishing vessel Maral Segunda for medical assistance for a sick crew member. This is not COVID-19 related and there is no indication of COVID-19 or any symptoms amongst crew members on board the vessel.
The vessel does not have appropriate medical facilities on-board and, as per the Island’s SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) obligations, St Helena is assisting as the nearest port of call.
The vessel is currently berthed alongside Ruperts Jetty.
The public is therefore advised that the whole of Lower Ruperts, including the Jetty and beach area, will be closed to the public until the vessel has departed.
All COVID-19 protocols and procedures, as per the Island’s Standard Operating Procedures for arriving vessels, will be strictly adhered to.
The patient’s condition will be assessed by medical staff and a decision taken on whether they can receive medical treatment on board the vessel or whether they will need to come ashore for further medical assistance and evacuation. If the patient needs to come ashore they will only be treated at the General Hospital if test results from all crew members are negative. If there is a positive test result from any crew member, the patient will be treated at Bradley’s Hospital under quarantine conditions.
The Maral Segunda will continue on its journey following the medical assessment and advice from Health officials.
#StHelena
SHG
2 March 2022
New Senior Paramedic for the Health Services Directorate, Thomas Attewell, arrived in early January. Thomas has already begun work on developing the ambulance into its own distinct emergency service. The aim is to provide a faster response whilst bringing hospital-level resuscitation, emergency skills and equipment to the community whenever it is needed. Thomas has been working very closely with the ambulance drivers, in order to bring the service up to the standard which would be expected in the UK. He plans to work with other sections of the Health Services Directorate as well as the Emergency Services to ensure that all personnel within these sectors are able to provide a level of pre-hospital care that all patients deserve.
Thomas said:
“I am looking forward to developing the emergency care provisions, and have already begun implementing improvements to speed up our response, the equipment and medications we carry, as well as our procedures and training. The work that has been undertaken in my first month here and the reception I have received from the Health Services Directorate and the public has been very positive, so I hope I can continue to make positive change.”
Thomas became a paramedic through studying for a degree in Paramedic Science at the University of Suffolk. Before arriving on St Helena, Thomas spent six years as an Army reservist serving as a Paramedic and continues to do so. He has just recently returned back from an operational tour with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus on the ‘green line’, developing their pre-hospital emergency care procedures and providing clinical care for a 1200-plus multinational force. Prior to this Thomas spent two years with the East of England Ambulance Service, working on ambulances and rapid response cars, he was a part of the specialist operations response team, undertaking training and exercises to respond to major incidents. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree in expedition and wilderness medicine and plans to undertake his dissertation on healthcare on the Island. Thomas will make himself available for anyone wishing to pursue a career in Paramedic Services. Thomas is also a keen adventurer with training in mountaineering, rock climbing and an instructor in kayaking and canoeing
SHG
2 March 2022
The 28-day ‘Flossuary Challenge’ launched by the Dental Department on Tuesday, 1 February 2022, has concluded.
During the month of ‘Flossuary’ (February), the Dental Department distributed free ‘flossuary’ packs, which included guidance on how to clean between your teeth, a 28-day chart and product samples, in an attempt to encourage everyone to try cleaning in between their teeth once a day for 28 consecutive days.
Dental Therapist, Charmaine Buckley, commented:
“We had really good participation from both regular patients and the general public, approximately 100 free flossuary packs were issued. I do hope everyone who took part found some benefit in the challenge and was able to continue for the 28 consecutive days, and we thank you for participating. I would encourage everyone to continue cleaning between your teeth to gain the benefits this has on our general health and would love to hear from anyone who participated in the Flossuary Challenge by providing feedback via email: charmaine.buckley@sainthelena.gov.sh”.
Cleaning between your teeth on a daily basis reduces your risk of serious health conditions, such as:
Gum Disease
Gum Disease is inflammation of the gums. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection of the specialised tissues, and bones that surround and support your teeth in the jaw. Without treatment, this infection can destroy the bone that supports your teeth which cause teeth to loosen. Unlike gum disease, it cannot be reversed and often has serious, long lasting consequences for how your teeth and gums look and feel. It may lead to the permanent loss of teeth.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Heart disease is the term that describes what happens when your heart’s blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries. Gum disease can lead to increased arterial inflammation, which is responsible for cardiovascular events.
A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. When gums bleed and become inflamed, it leads to changes in how blood and oxygen flows to the brain. The risk of stroke is significantly increased by the presence of periodontal disease.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. There is a clear relationship between the degree of hyperglycaemia and severity of periodontitis. It is believed to involve aspects of immune functioning, white blood cell activity, and cell signalling proteins. Diabetes increases the risk for periodontal disease, and periodontal inflammation negatively affecting glycaemic control.
Alzheimers
A growing body of scientific evidence has found that inflammation caused by gum disease and periodontal disease can trigger inflammation in the brain that leads to Alzheimers.
The bacteria that cause gum disease and periodontal disease, may also contribute to rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders, the connection ties back to a common factor: persistent inflammation.
For further information, please contact the Dental Department on tel: 22500.
#StHelena #DentalDepartment #Flossuary
SHG
1 March 2022
Ministers have today released their vision for St Helena:
A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT that creates OPPORTUNITY and inspires SOCIAL and ECONOMIC PROGRESS ensuring a better quality of life for all.
- SUSTAINABLE – Provide a foundation for our community and businesses to first consolidate, then develop, and finally aspire to a prosperous future through a sustainable approach using our unique but limited resources
- OPPORTUNITY – Set a path for our island that focuses on niche opportunities, which will generate new streams of revenue that will have minimal impact on natural resources and which will overcome constraints of our geographic location, size and population.
- PROGRESS – Take decisions that move us forward as an island to ultimately get us closer to achieving our desired outcomes.
Chief Minister Julie Thomas explains:
“At the heart of our vision, there are three main dimensions: Our Environment, Our Economy and Our Social obligations. To enable us to achieve our vision our priority policies will focus on specific areas, which are instrumental if we are to address the current challenges impinging on our ability to create a more optimistic and viable future for our island. During our tenure we will strive to keep our strategy flexible to respond to changing needs and priorities.”
- Ensure a more robust health care service which acknowledges and focuses on holistic health, taking into account our aging population and the complexity of our health and social needs, whilst encouraging a more responsible approach to improving our individual lifestyles
- The development of our Renewable Energy and Water Security plans which ensure that we primarily protect our environment, whilst delivering both resources at affordable prices
- Achieving economic growth by enabling local private sector development and making St Helena more accessible for visitors, investors and residents by modernising legislation and policies that make St Helena more attractive to live, work and do business
- Food Security – putting in place policies and legislation to enable the expansion of our agricultural and fishing sectors through modern techniques
- Provide and encourage niche opportunities to attract and facilitate new streams of revenue, in an attempt to reduce our reliance on UK aid and bolster our current shrinking tax base
- To be the Government that takes St Helena forward into a new digital era maximising opportunities that create the platform for existing businesses to grow and new businesses to commence
- Strengthening and improving our educational offering by continuing to recognise the importance of inclusivity, whilst acknowledging the prominence of education in our lives. Encouraging Life Long Learning by investing in and valuing our people in order to develop through upskilling, training and rewarding as we create a sustainable workforce
- Implementing schemes and policies that will create an environment whereby we can provide options for affordable housing, enabling our residents to own their homes
- Conducting a review of current legislation and policies to ensure a more accountable, responsible Government that operates effectively, efficiently and ethically. We will take pride in our infrastructure and critical assets, whilst utilising where possible, bespoke solutions to address local problems, honouring the expertise and skills of our people
- Improved internal and external communications and engagement to build a more informed community
- We will strive to maintain and improve our blue and green agenda aspiring to become a blue print for others to follow.
A detailed roadmap (the SHG Strategy) setting out priority actions and deliverables, together with performance indicators to monitor implementation is being developed and this will be published once finalised.
SHG
1 March 2022
Members of the St Helena Sea Rescue and St Helena Fire & Rescue teams, St Helena Government (SHG) Marine Section and the Portfolio Director of Safety, Security & Home Affairs, cleaned Sharks Valley Beach on Wednesday, 23 February 2022.
The initiative came about after one of the Sea Rescue team members visited Sharks Valley beach some months ago and saw the beach littered with all sorts of plastic items that had washed ashore.
Due to the remoteness of this area, the only possible way to extract anything was by sea, so the Sea Rescue Service decided to arrange a cleaning day to coincide with one of the training events that would take place in the area.
Cleaning of the beach was not something that could be achieved alone by the Sea Rescue team and help was requested from the St Helena Fire & Rescue Service and SHG Marine Section.
At 8am a mixed team of six from the departments met at The Flag, Levelwood, and walked down into Sharks Valley, arriving there at 9am, bagging up the plastics and other rubbish which took about two hours. At 11am the Sea Rescue Service vessels arrived in the area and extracted the bags of rubbish from Sharks Valley by using the same system used to extract a casualty from the shoreline. 26 bags of rubbish were extracted along with some larger items that could not be bagged up. Some of the items (mainly buoys) will be reused by the Sea Rescue Service for training and the remaining plastics will be disposed of at the Horse Point Landfill Site.
Sea Rescue Manager, Simon Wade, said:
“It was a great day (a bit hot walking back), a good bit of team bonding from the different services. Both Fire and Sea Rescue Services found it useful to work in the area, it gave insight to issues/limitations and challenges if we have a rescue operation from that area.”
Fire Fighter, Damien Stevens, added:
“A great team building day out of the office, getting familiar with the topography and terrain to the popular Sharks Valley Post Box Walk, along with a rewarding and satisfying beach clean-up before making the long trek back to The Flag. I speak for all involved when I say it felt good to be able to make a small environmental improvement for our Island and we’re all looking forward to the next clean-up project.”
Safety, Security & Home Affairs Portfolio Director, Alex Mitham, concluded:
“I would like to thank Simon Wade for organising the Sharks Valley clean-up. It was a privilege to witness Sea Rescue and the Fire & Rescue Service working in tandem on joint training, and importantly providing a vital community service in cleaning up the shoreline at Sharks Valley. Anyone who has visited that beach, or any other beach around St Helena will have seen all the plastic and rubbish which has washed ashore. It’s not only unsightly but a pollution risk to our marine and terrestrial habitats. Thank you to everyone involved, and I know more events are planned in the future.”
A big thank you goes out to the St Helena Fire & Rescue Service and SHG Marine Section for their support, and to Stevens Butchery and other members of the public who provided the bags to allow this event to take place.
#StHelena #SharksValley #BeachClean #AltogetherGreener
SHG
28 February 2022
The Peaks National Park is one of St Helena’s most prominent National Conservation Areas. The Park also contains globally significant and highly threatened cloud forest habitat that is vital to St Helena for biodiversity, water security and sustainable development, making the park a valuable asset for both locals and visitors.
We are looking for your feedback to support the management of the Peaks which can help protect this unique and economically important ecosystem. A survey about the Peaks is at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/387N8CJ.
Kindly take a few minutes to complete the survey.
#StHelena #PeaksNationalPark #CloudForest #AltogetherGreener
SHG
28 February 2022