The Ministry of Health & Wellness has confirmed the first locally transmitted malaria cases in over six years in Santa Elena Town and Cristo Rey Village, Cayo District. This development marks a significant setback in Belize’s efforts to prevent the re-establishment of malaria. Malaria, a febrile disease caused by parasites and transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito, typically results in episodes of fever, chills, and sweating every forty-eight to seventy-two hours. The initial case was detected on January seventeenth, followed by additional cases on March eleventh and April fifth. Of the four confirmed cases in 2025, three are locally transmitted, while one is imported from Petén, Guatemala. The Ministry urges the public to remain vigilant and take preventive measures to avoid mosquito bites, as efforts continue to control and eliminate malaria in the region. On Monday, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa briefly addressed the issue of malaria.
Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health and Wellness
“Just to advise you that when we, as, ministry state that we have eliminated or we have received certification of elimination, many times, it doesn’t mean that there’s zero case, but you have fallen below a certain threshold. And we also W.H.O. looks at consecutive years of how the country has responded before they can determine whether that certification has been removed or whether we remain in certification. So it’s not a hard and fast one-off case and your certification has been removed.”
Belize has confirmed cases of measles for the first time in thirty-four years. The Ministry of Health and Wellness announced in a virtual press conference that the first suspected cases appeared after Belizeans visited Mexico in March. Two people returned with symptoms like fever and skin rashes, and tests confirmed they had measles. This breaks Belize’s record of being measles-free since 1991. The patients are from the Corozal and Cayo districts and were part of a group that recently came back from Mexico. The rest of the group is now in isolation, being monitored for any signs of fever or rash. The ministry is urging the public to get vaccinated against measles, which takes about twenty-one days to recover from. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
After more than thirty years without measles, Belize confirmed two cases of the virus on Saturday. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director of Public Health and Wellness, said the group, from four different communities in Belize, traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico in January and returned on March thirtieth. The rest of the group is in isolation and showing no symptoms so far, with most of them being vaccinated. The patients are teenagers.
Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health & Wellness
“The details of the two positive cases are as follows: a 17-year-old male unvaccinated who started with fever, rash, and cough on April third. Laboratory confirmation of measles was received on April twelfth. The second case is a 17-year-old female unvaccinated who started with symptoms on April second. Laboratory confirmation of measles was received on April twelfth. All fifteen travelers have been interviewed by the staff of the Ministry of Health and Wellness and are being monitored regularly for signs and symptoms.”
Musa explained that they acted as soon as they got reports of patients with symptoms, while waiting for test results to confirm measles. These cases come amid a surge in measles across the Americas, with over five hundred confirmed cases in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Argentina. Although many people in Belize are vaccinated, the rate is still below the ninety-five percent target, especially in the Cayo and Belize Districts. The Ministry of Health is urging Belizeans to get vaccinated.
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa
“The Ministry of Health and Wellness urges the public to ensure vaccinations are up to date, particularly for children. Parents, check your children’s vaccine cards to determine if their vaccines are up to date. Adults who have not received an MMR vaccine or who are uncertain of their vaccination status should visit a health facility to receive the vaccine.”
Natalia Beer
Dr. Natalia Beer, Technical Advisor, Maternal and Child Health, Ministry of Health
“Any unvaccinated person traveling abroad who come in contact with persons that may be infected with measles, more than likely will be infected with measles. We have so many flights in and out of Belize and if we look at the data in the U.S., a lot of destinations from Belize, they’re having outbreaks.”
Dr. Natalia Beer, the ministry’s Technical Advisor for Maternal and Child Health, urged everyone, especially those in certain age groups or with existing health conditions, to get vaccinated, particularly if they plan to travel outside Belize in the next month. What makes this illness highly contagious is that patients can spread it even before they show any symptoms.
Dr. Natalia Beer
“The person is contagious even before having signs and symptoms, so it makes it more difficult for one to say, I will stay away from persons that are ill with fever and rash. But the contagious period starts even before that. The high-risk group that we need to target now is unvaccinated children and teenagers, unvaccinated adults from 20 to 59 years, adults greater than 60 years, unvaccinated healthcare workers, immune-compromised persons, pregnant women, and populations living in communities with low vaccination coverage.”
Measles usually starts with symptoms like fever, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash that begins at the hairline and spreads down the chest, back, limbs, and the rest of the body. The illness typically lasts for about twenty-one days from the onset of symptoms. The ministry has started holding monthly mobile clinics in remote communities to give out vaccinations, but they’ve noticed that people are hesitant to get vaccinated. This hesitancy has increased since the COVID outbreak. Marion Ali for News Five.
The medical team stressed that people with chronic illnesses should get vaccinated for measles. Those with weakened immune systems are at risk of severe cases if they catch the virus. While many people recover completely, Doctor Russell Manzanero, an epidemiologist with the Ministry of Health, explained that those in vulnerable health categories can suffer lasting effects or even die.
Russell Manzanero
Dr. Russell Manzanero, Epidemiologist, Ministry of Health & Wellness
“The very young, those who are older, pregnant women, those who have a weakened immune response, such as those perhaps living with cancer or one of the chronic illnesses that are perhaps not managed properly. Those are individuals who have weakened immune system, so those are the persons of concern of where the severity might be even greater. It varies from perhaps, we may have a lung infection, it develops to pneumonias, you can have inflammation and swelling of the brain, but these are instances where hospitalization rates perhaps are not that great. These are the severe cases. In that instance, if you do have a neurological complication that you do get a swelling to the brain, you might have side effects of hearing loss or vision loss, blindness. Yes, there are some cases of death.”
Health officials have increased surveillance at Belize’s entry points, like the international airport, cruise ports, and border crossings, to control the measles outbreak before it gets worse. So, even if you’re just leaving for a day or two, especially this Easter, be ready to answer a few questions when you return. Doctor Musa explained the process for people entering the country.
Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health & Wellness
“The process in Belize and in the Ministry of Health and Wellness is that we do have public health inspectors trained in surveillance at our borders and at the cruise ships. So, the public health inspectors have numerous roles when they’re at these border points. And one of the roles is in surveillance. And we have now, in fact – the regions are meeting today, and some met yesterday to enhance the surveillance. So, the enhancement basically means that we’re actively looking for cases, reaching out to people who have been sick because of course, a part of the public health inspectors’ duty at the border points, especially for the airport, is to look at the report that the captain says, “just prior to landing” identifying whether somebody is ill on flight, et cetera. And then we take action depending on that. But as Dr. Beer mentioned, we would also have posters. The public health inspectors do ask about fever. We try to identify early if there are any sick families in the group and we then give advice and isolate as needed. So, this will be enhanced. We will more than likely, depending on the regions – because not all regions, the response will be the same. The borders, of course, are a little bit – the land borders might be different than the cruise ships and the airports. So, we will adjust for each border and we will enhance the surveillance at those places.”
On Saturday, April fifth, Ambergris Hope Hospital celebrated a major milestone with the launch of a blood and blood products storage reserve on Ambergris Caye. The event was a big deal, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, free blood typing for the first twenty guests, vitals checks, voluntary blood donor sign-ups, public education, and even a pharmacy sale. This marks a huge leap forward for the island’s ability to handle medical emergencies and planned surgeries. The hospital brought together the Island Donors Squad and medical students from Washington University of Health Sciences to celebrate this game-changing improvement in lifesaving capabilities. Having a local reserve of blood and blood products means faster access to critical care. In emergencies, every second counts, and being able to start transfusions without waiting for transport to the mainland can be lifesaving. This new reserve will also cut down on the need for expensive late-night emergency flights. Beyond accident-related emergencies, Ambergris Hope frequently uses blood for cesarean deliveries, childbirth, laparotomies, and appendectomies. This new reserve is set to make a big difference in all these areas.
The Government of Belize has ambitious plans for the health sector over the next few years. At a recent meeting, the cabinet endorsed the Belize Health Sector Strategic Plan 2025 to 2034, which lays out a detailed roadmap for tackling key health system challenges. The cabinet also approved a retention package of allowances for public health nurses to help keep highly skilled nurses in Belize. We spoke with Andrew Baird, President of the K.H.M.H. Workers Union, to get his reaction to the news.
Andrew Baird
Andrew Baird, President, K.H.M.H. Workers Union
“I’m working as a nurse for the past twenty-five years and for the past twenty-five years, uniform allowance for nurses have been at three hundred annually. And if you look at the cost and living to today, three hundred can only buy us our scrubs. And but our uniform includes shoes. So the allotted amongst should be enough to buy shoes. What I know from it maybe raised from three hundred to five hundred also there is what we call a night. Allowance that is given to nurses. Then at this time it is fifty for every twenty night that you work, but you only get to work seven nights per month. So to reach twenty nights, you have to work at least three months or so before you could get that allowance. I believe that they want to raise that allowance to a hundred dollars or something like that, contrary to what the government might offer in our CBA, I believe we are asking for that a lot that night allowance to be monthly rather than based on the amount of nights that one work. So those are a couple of the allowances that I know that the government may have in their package. May so be that they may have a raise of salary for nurses, I don’t know, or a salary adjustment. But our last adjustment for nurses was in 2012 when we had that adjustment along with the nomenclature name changes throughout the nursing system. But I wait to see a document that the government is pledging to give as a package to nurses, to retain us. The retention of Belizean nurses is long overdue, but not only Belizean nurses, but nurses that works on Belizean a whole. What we have seen over the years is that because of the global demand for nurses, our Belizean nurses and nurses who work in Belize are being offered packages in the US, Canada, and the UK mainly. And those packages have signed bonuses, they find places for them to stay, and then the salary is very attractive. So the government has the match that if we’re going to retain our nurses to stay in Belize.”
This next story doesn’t often make the news, but this week, it sparked enough outrage for people to demand action from the authorities. It started when a horse was found injured and starving in a drain, left to die. After a Facebook post about the animal went up on Wednesday, many Belize City residents called for stricter enforcement of animal cruelty and neglect laws. Since then, more reports have surfaced of horses being left tied in the sun for hours without food or water. Rescuers try to help but prefer to stay anonymous due to fear of being targeted. News Five’s Marion Ali spoke with two of them today and filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
This heartbreaking picture of a horse left to die from injury and starvation in a Belize City drain has outraged many people, sparking a call for justice against those responsible. An animal rescuer we spoke with was furious when she found the horse, especially given the many stories of horses being abused by youths.
On the Phone: Animal Rescuer #1
“Wednesday afternoon, I was leaving my mom residence right around Benbow Street in the city and a vehicle blocked traffic. So, I was wondering what happened. So, I said, let me go and see when I looked, a horse was dead in the bush – in the drain, and I just lost it. I completely lost it. I lost it because I couldn’t believe that you always hear stories about kids riding the horses. You see them riding the horses. People complain on Facebook multiple times and like nothing is being done.”
But there’s hope. In this case, the animal rescuer called a police officer, who quickly sent a patrol to investigate. The Belize City Council also sent a dump truck to remove the carcass. Unfortunately, this was just one incident. The rescuer mentioned that there were three more cases of horse abuse and neglect the next day.
On the Phone: Animal Rescuer #1
“Thursday, which was yesterday, I got a call again on pictures from three different locations. One was in front of the education building. The other was at the corner of Cairo Street and Euphrates Avenue. And the other one was, I think, somewhere by Cemetery Road where horses are tied with no water.”
In another instance, a man found a horse tied to a lamp post in the scorching sun and took it upon himself to move the animal to a cooler spot under a tree. Another animal rescuer mentioned that abuse and neglect are so widespread in Belize that dogs are often the most common victims. She recounted a recent incident where a fellow rescuer was criticized for helping an abandoned dog.
On the phone: Animal Rescuer #2
“We had a situation where one of my volunteers kept passing this house and kept seeing this little poodle tied on a very very short leash, no shelter, no food, no water. She realized that she didn’t see any activity in the house so she started going in and feeding the poodle and give it water. Ih do that fi a week – still nobody in the house. She took the poodle out of the sun where it was suffering, no activity in the house, so she figured they just abandoned the poodle. She took the poodle home and the owner showed up about another week and a half later, and the blasted her on Facebook, and accused her of stealing ih dog.”
There are only a few animal rescuers in Belize, and they’re overwhelmed trying to balance work and rescues. They do it out of love for animals. They advise pet owners to take good care of their pets or not get one at all.
On the Phone: Animal Rescuer #1
“It’s just common sense. You know Belize, it’s hot. If we walk outside the street, outside it is hot, extremely hot. Simple thing as water – they just so simple water they could give the animal, put them in a shaded area. Many times, even with dogs, you pass on certain areas, even in the yard, fence yard at that too, they have a dog tied to a tree with no shelter, no house. Rain beat them, sun beat them. And like it’s just the basic norm, and that’s my issue. It is not normal because they have feelings just like any other animal. And just like us, just get a house and if you can’t afford to have an animal, just don’t have one.”
We’ll follow up with a story about the laws on animal abuse and neglect, and the penalties people can face if they’re convicted of these offenses. Marion Ali for News Five.
The Ministry of Health & Wellness is pulling back several pieces of workout equipment from parks across the country. These yellow and red outdoor fitness machines were found to have dangerously high levels of lead. This alarming discovery was made thanks to research and testing by Doctor Joaquin Urbina from the University of Belize, along with Doctor Adam Kiefer and Doctor Addie Buerck from Mercer University in Georgia.
Joaquin Urbina
Dr. Joaquin Urbina, Assistant Professor, U.B.
“Around October 2023, a group led by Mercer University came down to Belize, and in particular the group was interested in doing a collaboration with the University of Belize on a lead in paint study and they proposed a study done on outdoor gym equipment. They were, I guess, curious to find out what the led concentrations were and together with UB students and some of their students, we conducted the study. At the same time, they conducted a study along with us on how to carry out the study using what we call a portable X-ray florescence device which measures the concentration of heavy metals, including lead. We found out that a big majority of the equipment across the country had great amounts of led in the paint. There’s a lot of documented evidence and this is supported by UNICEF and other agencies across the world and they report that prolonged lead exposure may lead to some chronic symptoms as a result of the toxicity of led. But this is over a prolonged period of time. This may include dizziness, among other symptoms, even skin disorders. If the exposure is directly on the skin.”
Today, the students at Stella Maris School received care packages during a brief handing-over ceremony. Each package included personal care items, a bag, and a water bottle. This generous gesture was made possible through a collaboration between the school and four other organizations. News Five’s Paul Lopez was on the scene at Stella Maris and filed this report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Today, every student at Stella Maris School received care packages to take home. These thoughtful gifts were donated thanks to a collaboration between UNICEF, the Belize City Council, the Social Security Board, and the Lions Club.
Sheree Salgado
Sheree Salgado, Teacher, Stella Maris School
“Each student received a package today; each boy and girl and we also have some over so that we can store for them so that when they don’t have, we have for them.”
Paul Lopez
“How important is this support?”
Sheree Salgado
“Very important because we know where these students come from, we know the background of some of these students, we know the parents and so it is very important.”
Sharry Castillo, Treasurer of the Sub Umbra Florio Lions Club, explained that the decision to donate hygiene packages came from a desire to break away from the usual school supplies.
Sharie Castillo
Sharie Castillo, Treasurer, Lions Sub Umbra Florio Club
“We always give school bags and we have back to school drives and they are nice initiatives. We tend to look beyond school bags. There are needs that kids have which parents cant provide and as donors, the Lion, we serve. So we tend to look more beyond a school bag and we felt like the care packages will be best for the students at Stella Maris.”
The Belize City Council and the Social Security Board chipped in financially to help procure the supplies handed out today. We got insights from Mayor Bernard Wagner and Vanessa Vellos, the Communications Manager at SSB.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“This is a very special occasion for us to be able to participate in an activity like this which really focus on these kids at Stella Maris. When asked to contribute to this event we were compelled to do it and so it was a pleasure to participate in this activity. We try to spread as much as we can across the city. There is so much schools in the city. Stella Maris is special for us given the circumstance. We as a municipality try to spread the little resources we have across the city and you can see that in the works we have been doing all across our city.”
Vanessa Vellos
Vanessa Vellos, Communications Manager, S.S.B.
“Stella Maris as you know represents a school that caters to the children who have special needs at times. So, we received the request and we decided to give them a cash donation of five hundred dollars. That was given from our SDA account. So that is our role in today’s activity. We gave a cash donation and we also gave a donation of some cross body bags and some bottles, and some water bootless. It was just to give something extra beyond what we already gave them.”
Sheree Salgado
“We know where these students are coming from. Some of them are not able to buy something as simple as a deodorant. It is very important that, we don’t want it to stop here we want others to jump on it and continue to support our students.”
International Women’s Month is ending and earlier today, women from all walks of life gathered to openly discuss the often-taboo topic of menopause. The event, filled with heartfelt stories and expert insights, aimed to break the silence and provide much-needed support and education on this natural phase of life. Attendees left feeling empowered and more connected, ready to embrace the changes with confidence and understanding. With more on today’s forum, here is News Five’s Isani Cayetano.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Menopause is a natural part of a woman’s life, but it’s often surrounded by silence and stigma. It’s simply a natural aging process where the ovaries stop producing reproductive hormones, and monthly periods cease for twelve consecutive months. By talking openly about menopause, we can normalize the experience and break the taboo around this natural hormonal change.
Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director of Public & Wellness
“We do have over fifty, almost sixty health facilities across the country, at different levels. The first step would be going into one of these facilities, seeing the nurse and then seeing a medical officer. In terms of the symptoms that you have, the consultation will then involve looking at the symptoms and a lot of the menopause treatment is geared towards, essentially, alleviating symptoms.”
Menopause usually doesn’t happen overnight. The months or even years leading up to it are known as perimenopause or the menopausal transition. During this time, your ovaries’ hormone production can fluctuate. Perimenopause can last anywhere from two to eight years. Talking openly about menopause doesn’t just educate women; it also informs their families, friends, and colleagues about what to expect. This understanding can build empathy and support from everyone around them.
Dame Froyla Tzalam
Dame Froyla Tzalam, Governor General
“My family will tell you, I have good days and I have bad days, to the point where my son now, in the morning he would say, “Mommy, you slept good last night? No hot flashes?” He knows about hot flashes. “Are you okay?” And it’s amazing that even somebody asking you, “Are you okay?” Sets the tone for the rest of the day because it means you’re not alone. To the point where I now have become a menopause bore, I will talk to people openly about it among my sisters, even among my family. There are seven of us, seven females.”
By fostering a supportive environment through open conversations, women can feel more at ease seeking help and discussing their symptoms with healthcare providers.
Rosanna Briceño
Rosanna Briceño, Special Envoy for Women & Children
“Menopause brings with it a complex array of experiences, but perhaps the most complex of it is the silence that surrounds it. We only see the signs. This lack of open conversation often leads to isolation, misunderstanding and missed opportunities for support. The few women that have expressed openly that they have no side effects and they have no clue what menopause is, God bless you sisters, totally.”
Talking about menopause helps women discover different resources, treatments, and strategies to manage their symptoms effectively. This can lead to better health outcomes and a higher quality of life.
Dame Froyla Tzalam
“I want to live until I am in my eighties, nineties, if I can, but I want to have a quality of life. I don’t want to be wheelchair bound or anything of that sort, so my commitment, my personal commitment to myself is that I need to be informed about menopause, I need to eat well, I need to exercise. Doing the right kinds of exercise, so it’s not just cardio anymore, it’s strength training, and, most importantly, talk to my family.”
Encouraging open conversations about menopause can help demystify the experience, offer much-needed support, and promote overall well-being for women navigating this phase of life. Isani Cayetano for News Five.
