In the immediate aftermath of the September 12, 1988 Hurricane Gilbert — the worst storm to hit Jamaica this century, a sharp rise in malnutrition, a quiet but troubling affliction, failed to make the news headlines.

But a top university professor is warning Jamaicans that another storm — which is likely before the hurricane season ends in November — could combine with the novel coronavirus pandemic to unleash a serious onset of malnourishment, especially among children and pregnant women.

“The present COVID-19 pandemic, as well as severe weather conditions, such as hurricanes, may result in food not being readily available, accessible, or affordable and lead to malnutrition,” said Dr Dalip Ragoobirsingh, professor of medical biochemistry and diabetology at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, St Andrew.

He cited, as example, a worrying increase in the incidence of obvious live-birth defects related to malnutrition in Jamaica 11 to 18 months after Gilbert slammed the island, killing more than 50 people, knocking out power supply, and inundating agricultural crops and farmlands for months.

Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed last Wednesday in the central Atlantic basin and was expected to reach hurricane status before it weakened to a depression as it accelerated towards the southern Windward Islands. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted this will be an active hurricane season, with 13 to 19 named storms.

At Jamaica Observer press time, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Caribbean had jumped to 83,821, with Jamaica accounting for 837 cases and 10 deaths.

Trinidad-born Dr Ragoobirsingh, who has been dubbed Dr Diabetes, because of his extensive international work on the largely diet-related disease which appears to afflict Caribbean people more than most, is getting ready to join the World Health Organization (WHO) in a new initiative to ward off malnutrition.

WHO has just invited Professor Ragoobirsingh to be a member of a high-level development group to discuss the evidence and draft recommendations for guidelines on fortification of wheat flour with vitamins and minerals to aid global public health.

Iron fortification is of paramount importance to Caribbean people. In Jamaica, for example, the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia in children 6-15 years is reported to be a massive 10-50 per cent. Among women of reproductive age it is 22.50 per cent. Similar figures are reflected across the Caribbean.

“I’m obviously elated to be among this prestigious group of experts whose groundbreaking work will serve mankind, especially at this time when the COVID-19 is wreaking havoc across the planet,” Dr Ragoobirsingh told the Observer yesterday.

In announcing the WHO invitation, The UWI’s Department of the Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) said the initiative was important to all low- and middle-income countries, which include Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, where under-nutrition is not uncommon.

The BMS said fortification of staple foods was one of the strategies that had been used to safely and effectively prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies in populations, adding that the WHO was committed to driving public health impact in every country and promoting well-being for all ages.

“One vitamin which will be used in this process is folate [folic acid], which helps to make red blood cells and is a nutrient in the vitamin B complex that the body needs in small amounts to function and stay healthy.

“These [red blood] cells are responsible for carrying oxygen. Without enough oxygen, the body cannot work as well as it should. Low levels of folic acid can cause [megaloblastic] anaemia, or weak blood. Everyone needs it, and it is most important for women of childbearing ages who intend to get pregnant or are pregnant,” the department noted in a press statement.

It said folic acid protects unborn babies against serious birth defects, including abnormalities of the neural tube development — such as improper formation of the spine and spinal cord and absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp.

“It is a common practice for obstetricians to prescribe folate during antenatal care of their pregnant patients. But many of our women, especially from the lower socio-economic sector of society, cannot afford this care.

“In fact, they are seldom seen by a health care professional until they are well advanced in the pregnancy or near delivery. So they have to get folic acid from fortified foods, such as breads, pastas and cereals,” the department said.

It noted that the USA, arguably the world’s richest country, had reported higher neural tube (birth) defects in some states, such as the Carolinas, where 20-25 per cent of the population are African American. Of significance is the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia of 9-12 per cent in white women, compared to 20 per cent in blacks.

“This would appear to support claims in the recent Black Lives Matter campaign that their health care is woefully inadequate. For these and other compelling reasons this WHO initiative is timely and urgent,” BMS said.

Professor Ragoobirsingh has previously participated in the WHO Peers in Progress project and the Guideline Development Group for Global Nutrition Actions in Geneva, Switzerland. He served as a technical advisor to the Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA, in guiding “Improvement Initiatives for Diabetes Care in the Caribbean”.

He was also the North American regional representative to the Diabetes Education Consultative Section of the International Diabetes Federation, headquartered in Brussels, and is currently the director for Diabetes Education Programme in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI. He is married to a Jamaican, the former Karen May Bennett.

BMS said it regarded the professor’s latest endeavour as “a signal honour… for the entire UWI”.