Sundberg Health and Capacity Development Initiatives

27/01/2026

Take a short break from politics and listen to learn from this

27/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17q8Rd54HC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

18/01/2026

Do not forget to place yr order

04/01/2026

Three items every home should own, a blood pressure monitor, temperature monitor, and oximeter, please placed yr order today for a healthier tomorrow.

03/01/2026

Linnea Brodin, thank you very much for your generous donation in support of our sanitary pad initiative for underprivileged teenage girls in Liberia. We are truly grateful.

Linnea Brodin, stort tack för din generösa donation till vårt initiativ för utdelning av sanitetsbindor till mindre privilegierade tonårsflickor i Liberia. Vi är mycket tacksamma.

26/12/2025

A friendly reminder , pls take care of your blood pressure. Get yr blood pressure monitor at SHECDI today

High blood pressure (Hypertension) often called the silent killler means that blood pressure is persistently too high and is ≥ 140/90 mmHg on repeated measurements at rest.
Hypertension dangerous because long term high pressure damages blood vessels and organs, leading to:
❤️ Heart failure
🧠 Stroke
🫀 Heart attack
🧂 Kidney failure
👁️ Vision problems

High blood pressure is often called “the silent killer” because many patients have no symptoms. It develops over time due to many factors which include
Genetics, Aging, Stress, Obesity
High salt intake, Physical inactivity
Smoking, and Alcohol.
At times one may have symptoms with include Headache, Dizziness, Fatigue, Palpitations, Visual disturbances

Secondary causes of high blood pressure (5–10%) can be due to
medication conditions like
Kidney disease, Endocrine disorders (e.g. hyperaldosteronism), Sleep apnea, Pregnancy (preeclampsia), Drugs like NSAIDs, corticosteroids, oral contraceptives,

Treatment may include
Lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation)
Antihypertensive drugs (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers)

Get yr blood pressure monitor at SHECDI today

19/12/2025

Blood pressure monitors and smoke detectors now available.
Monitoring your blood pressure regularly helps you take control of your health, and a smoke detector adds safety to your home.

01/12/2025

I encourage everyone to know their status. Getting tested is not just knowledge, it’s protection, it’s empowerment, it’s self-love. The life you save could be your own.

Today on World AIDS Day, let’s choose awareness over fear, care over stigma, and compassion over silence. HIV is real, but so is hope, so is treatment, and so is dignity. Protect yourself, support each other, and never underestimate the power of knowing. ♥️

22/11/2025

Understanding HIV in Liberia: Why Testing Matters and How We Can Improve

Around 36,000 people are living with HIV in Liberia, and while this number may not seem very large at first, it represents a serious public-health challenge if we do not strengthen care, prevention, and community support. HIV is manageable when people know their status early, start treatment, and stay in care ,but this can only happen if testing is accessible and encouraged.

1. Why HIV Testing Matters:
Early testing saves lives. When people know their HIV status early, they can start treatment that helps them live long, healthy lives. Testing protects families. A person on treatment has a very low viral load, reducing the chance of spreading

Testing prevents HIV to partners or children. Testing strengthens communities. When more people get tested, we can better prevent new infections and build healthier communities.

2. What the Research Shows

During my master’s studies, I did a thesis titled “The Determinants of HIV Testing in Liberia,” using data from the 2013 Liberia Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS).
The research found several important issues:
• Many people lack access to HIV testing services.
• Some communities still face stigma and fear around HIV.
• There are gaps in public awareness, especially in rural areas.
• Socio-economic factors, education levels, and gender differences influence whether someone decides to get tested.

These findings show that increasing HIV testing requires more than just offering services , it requires education, trust, and community support.

3. What Liberia Needs to Improve

To strengthen HIV prevention and care, Liberia can focus on:
. Making testing easier and closer to home like having Mobile clinics, community outreach, and door-to-door testing to improve access.
. Community education and awareness: When people understand HIV and know it can be treated, more feel safe to get tested.
Reducing stigma: strong laws needs to be created to reduce stigma , encouraging open conversations and supporting people living with HIV , this will help create safe spaces for testing.
Supportive youth and women groups : These groups often face the biggest barriers and need targeted education and services.
Using research to guide action
Studies like mine help identify where the gaps are and what solutions are most effective.

Where to Find the Research

My thesis is publicly available.
If you or anyone else would like to read it, simply search online for:
“Courage Sundberg HIV testing in Liberia ”

04/11/2025

Medical research has established that excessive alcohol intake significantly increases the risk of developing not only cirrhosis of the liver, but also a range of other serious diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and depression.

Prolonged and heavy alcohol consumption can cause brain damage, leading to conditions such as epileptic seizures, dementia, and other neurological disorders.

Alcohol consumption raises both heart rate and blood pressure, and it also heightens the risk of various cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation.

Moreover, alcohol increases the risk of cancer in several organs. There are well-established links between alcohol consumption and cancers of the mouth, throat, liver, breast, and colon.

Alcohol is also known to elevate the risk of liver cancer and is a common cause of fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis.

The likelihood of developing depressive disorders rises sharply with high alcohol consumption, and it is a contributing factor in nearly half of all suicides.

Alcohol is detrimental to your health. Say no to alcohol.

02/10/2025

My take on what are contributing factors to Hypertenson or high blood pressure in Liberia

Factors that contribute to high blood pressure in Liberia

1. Diet / eating habits
In West Africa, studies show that high salt intake, red meat, saturated fats, processed foods and alcohol are strongly linked to hypertension.
Low intake of fruits and vegetables increases risk. Liberia’s national health profile also lists unhealthy diet as a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

2. Lifestyle & psychosocial factors
less physical activity, more sedentary time increases hypertension risk.
Chronic stress, psychosocial strain, and economic pressure can also elevate blood pressure.

Low income and poor working conditions are well-known social determinants of hypertension risk.

3. Poverty, access to care and structural issues
Poverty limits access to healthy foods (cheap, nutrient-poor food may be more available) and to healthcare for diagnosis and treatment.
Lack of screening and weak health systems mean many cases of high blood pressure go undetected or untreated.

There is no single cause. It’s a combination:
Diet (especially salt, fat and processed food) is a clear contributor.
Lifestyle (stress, inactivity) adds to the problem.
Poverty and weak health systems amplify both risk and poor control.

21/09/2025

Know the signs of sepsis , not every cold or headache is an ordinary flu

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/i-thought-freshers-flu-nearly-35930364?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=main&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4Y5Tdmq4dtxzZXzb5MB9Y_vgJmQyoMYJC8LmY-rSV6EAhu8wIhJdcocKvZwQ_aem_uQJVS5TNSm13MmVHf_vJFw =1758285207

Aspiring model Ketia Moponda had her legs and fingers amputated with doctors forced to cut rotting flesh from backside after it was discovered she had meningitis