Month: April 2018

On the occasion of the European Immunisation Week, which runs from April 23 to and 29 is promoted by the World Health Organisation, the Department of Social Affairs and Health has launched a public health campaign on immunisation awareness in the Principality.

Since January 1, 2018, vaccination against 11 infectious diseases is mandatory in France. For a vaccination to be an effective protection against infectious diseases, WHO estimates that the vaccination coverage of the population should reach 95 percent. Thus, an effective vaccination policy must reach as many people as possible to protect the community and avoid any risk of epidemics.

It is for these reasons that this Monday, April 9, Minister of Health and Social Affairs Didier Gamerdinger launched a campaign dedicated to the vaccination of children. Named “I protect my child, I vaccinate him,” the visual identity and the explanatory brochure summarise general vaccination recommendations and the reasons for being up-to-date with vaccinations, which means being protected for life.

“The goal is to increase the number of vaccinated children, to protect them by preventing diseases from circulating. It is a public health approach”, Minister Gamerdinger said.

The vaccines are 80-percent covered by health insurance; except the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine that is 100 percent reimbursed if it is expressly indicated on the prescription and provided that the child is under 17 years of age.

The vaccination policy has been launched by the Department of Health in direct link with the partners of the Directorate of Health Action, the Monegasque Screening Centre, the Department of Health and Epidemiology and the paediatric department of the CHPG, which set out the necessary recommendations.

For information, contact your GP or paediatrician, CHPG’s Paediatric Department (+377 97 98 95 47) or hygiene and vaccination service (04 92 41 67 95).

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As part of Monaco Ocean Week, the RAMOGE Agreement and the International Atomic Energy Agency are working together to improve the monitoring and management of benthic microalgae blooms.

The overall functioning and structure of marine ecosystems is strongly conditioned by the behaviour of the first steps in the food chain, and in particular by the microalgae that develop in shallow water and on the hard sediments and substrates of coastal environments.

This issue affects many countries around the world and comes under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 “to conserve and sustainably exploit the oceans, seas and marine resources”.

The two organisations are holding a training session from Monday, April 9 until Thursday, April 12, at the Oceanographic Museum for environment scientists and managers in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean Regions and Europe. The workshop will reinforce their knowledge of the monitoring of harmful microalgae blooms.

The members of the Agreement will take part to bring their expertise on the surveillance of Ostreopsis ovata, a microalgae present notably in the RAMOGE zone for about fifteen years.

On Thursday, April 12, a free public meeting will hear the prospects for management of harmful microalgae at the regional and global scale. To participate, register with the RAMOGE Agreement Secretariat (contact@ramoge.org or on +377 98 98 42 29).

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IUM and Oceanographic museum combine to meet awareness challenge

The sun has finally returned, the beaches have opened and rosé-drinking season is about to begin (if it hasn’t already done so for you!).

There’s something appealing about being able to sit in the Mediterranean sun sipping a drink leisurely but there’s also something unappealing about feeling like a train wreck the next day.

So how can we limit the damage that is sometimes induced by excessive drinking while still enjoying the things we love the most, like a good verre de rosé on the beach?

Unsurprisingly, alcohol is a subject that frequently pops up in my work as it’s an area where my clients struggle to find balance. For a lot of people, one drink leads to ten and along with it comes the hangover, the guilt and the determination to “never drink again”.

But that’s not exactly what most of us want, is it? Most of us would like to enjoy a drink or two on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Mala, Anjuna, La Note Bleue or the Beach Club without feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck the day after. Right?

Balance is a very relative term. For some people it might mean only drinking on weekends or on special occasions, while for others, it’s drinking a glass a day with dinner.

It also depends on your mood and what stage of life you’re in. I’ve gone through phases where I didn’t drink any alcohol for a month, which felt great. But I’ve also done GP weekends where I’ve drank champagne for breakfast, lunch and dinner for four days straight and equally, that felt pretty good at the time.

But, I must confess, I have a few tricks that help me stay somewhat in control along the way and that have proven to be quite successful with the clients I’m coaching, too. I don’t always abide by all of them but here they are …

Make your first drink a water. It feels empowering and it may encourage you to make your second drink a water also. And if this isn’t the case, you’ve at least gotten yourself a little hydrated and experienced what it’s like to be sober in the company you’ve chosen.

Spoiler alert: A few of my clients have had to reassess the people they socialise with as a result of this. Finding people to have fun with when alcohol is involved is easy. Finding those whose company you enjoy even when you’re sober can be a little more tricky at times.

Alternate every alcoholic beverage with a glass of water. This requires some discipline to start but if you can make a habit of this “style” of drinking, you’re saving yourself a lot of headaches … literally. Alcohol-induced headaches are partly the result of dehydration, even though you’re drinking plenty of fluids, you need water.

Eat healthy. I can hear you moaning but drinking alcohol is not an excuse for eating unhealthy food. I know it’s often what people crave but eating a meal that contains a maximum of colourful vegetables will be more helpful to your liver in its attempt to detoxify the booze than shoving down on a pizza or pasta.

If you’re in Sass, go for one of the salads or the salmon entrées as a starter and their delicious salt-crusted seabass with a side of vegetables as a main. You’re likely to find something similar on a beach menu, too!

By the way, eating healthy goes for the day after, too. Speaking of the day after, want to know the best way to recover from a hangover?

Tune in next week for that post. For now, start this rosé season by being more mindful of your liver and your health!

Maddy is the Founder of Nutrition For Naughty People, aimed at helping individuals find a better balance between the things that keep them healthy and the things that make them happy! Any questions? mk@nutritionfornaughtypeople.com Article first published April 8, 2018.

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Healthy lifestyle hacks for a happy Monaco life

On Friday, April 6, Prince Albert visited the commune of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste in the Pyrenees-Orientales, where he was hosted by Prefect Philippe Vignes.

The Prince was honouring the younger brother of Prince Honoré III of Monaco, Marie-Charles-Auguste Grimaldi, Count of Matignon, who is buried in this village with a population of 1,164. The young soldier was stationed with his regiment in this border fortress between France and Spain, and died age 27 of an epidemic on August 24, 1749.

Nearly 270 years after his death, a requiem mass was co-celebrated by Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco, and Bishop Norbert Turini, Bishop of Perpignan and Elne, in the Church of Sainte-Juste-et-Sainte-Ruffine.

Afterwards, the Prince was met with a warm reception by the townspeople, and gave a speech following that of by Mayor Claude Ferrer.

This visit was also an opportunity to sign a partnership agreement between the Prince Albert II Foundation and the municipality, which is very committed to energy transition and looks to become autonomous from renewable energies by 2021.

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Minister visits the La Palmosa Hospital in Menton

On Thursday, April 5, Prince Albert inaugurated the first international exhibition PhotoMonaco in the showroom at Quai Antoine 1er.

The Sovereign Prince was able to see first hand the unique collection “The Future of the Past” by Rolf Mayer, which presented 70 of his most beautiful works of the so-called archaic period (1840-1880).

The visit continued onto the stands of 15 international galleries, from Northern Europe to the South of France and the US, representative of old, modern and contemporary photography, and the stand of Patrick Chelli, official photographer of PhotoMonaco 2018.
The Prince was then able to admire the black-and-white portraits of Lewis Hamilton, Jean Dujardin and Novak Djokovic with photographs taken by the famous Studio Harcourt which relocated its decor to this fair.

Finally, on the ground floor, the Ambassador of this event, Nikos Aliagas, welcomed the Prince for a guided tour of his exhibition “The Test of Time”.

This visual course on art and collectibles will continue in three main venues in the Principality until October 2018, with thematic exhibitions “Princes Photographers” at the Palace, “Top Speed” at the Car Collection of the Prince of Monaco and “Oceania” at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

PhotoMonaco ran 4 days until Sunday, April 8.

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