"Access to health remains vital as hurricane devastated Member States recover" - CARPHA

“CARPHA’s multisectoral Rapid Response Team stands ready to provide immediate support in surveillance, food, water and environmental safety and vector-borne disease control to our Member States. Our regional referral laboratories are also ready to provide rapid testing of clinical, food, water and environmental samples as needed.”

Dr Lisa Indar, Ad Interim Executive Director at CARPHA

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 17 July 2024.  The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) began its regional response to hurricane-impacted Caribbean Islands on 1 July 2024.  Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Caribbean as a Category 4 Hurricane on 1 July, causing significant destruction and impacting lives and livelihoods. Beryl affected Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tobago, Cayman Islands and Jamaica, resulting in fatalities, injuries, floods, and extensive damage to infrastructure, including healthcare facilities. In some islands like Carriacou and Petite Martinique of Grenada, and Union Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, more than 60% of homes have been damaged or destroyed, leaving many without shelter, food, water, and electricity.

Recovery after Beryl necessitated a rapid, multidisciplinary response, of which public health is a vital component. The post-disaster health consequences of heavy rains, floods, and large numbers of displaced persons in crowded shelters increase the likelihood of infectious disease spread, food, water, and vector-borne diseases, mental health issues, and a strain on health systems.  

In this regard, CARPHA, given its mandate for public health response to emergencies, is supporting the regional health response as part of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)-led Regional Response Mechanism and coordinating with Member States and international organisations.

CARPHA’s comprehensive response includes rapid needs assessment, laboratory, surveillance and response, technical guidelines, prevention and control of infectious diseases, health and safety promotional materials, and shelter surveillance tools.  The Agency’s response also includes offering a Health Emergency Response Package to impacted islands - surveillance, laboratory, food safety, vector-borne, water, sanitation and hygiene, and risk communications.

CARPHA deployed technical staff to support the assessments of shelters, health facilities and the public health situation in Grenada as part of the CDEMA-led Rapid Needs Assessment Team (RNAT) during July 6-12 and is aiming to deploy next week to provide support to the Ministry of Health, particularly in daily shelter surveillance, and other health emergency and response needs. Tools for digital real-time shelter surveillance are being enhanced as well. 

Dr Lisa Indar, Ad Interim Executive Director at CARPHA, and Ms Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director, CDEMA, also conducted assessments in Carriacou and Petit Martinique and provided guidance on response to The Honourable Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada; The Honourable Philip Telesford, Minister of Health, and their teams; and the Emergency Operations Center.

“CARPHA’s multisectoral Rapid Response Team stands ready to provide immediate support in surveillance, food, water and environmental safety and vector-borne disease control to our Member States. Our regional referral laboratories are also ready to provide rapid testing of clinical, food, water and environmental samples as needed,” stated Dr. Indar.

Funded through the Pandemic Fund grant, CARPHA is procuring a package of essential public health supplies to prevent/reduce disease outbreaks in the impacted countries. This includes rapid tests to complement epidemiologic surveillance, supplies to promote water, sanitation, hygiene, food safety, and vector control, and personal protective supplies that could be used at the collective level during health emergencies.

The Caribbean Meteorology and Hydrology Institute (CIMH) predicted an early start to the 2024 Hurricane season with above-normal seasonal projections for the frequency and intensity of storms.^[1]

As such, CARPHA cautions affected Member States and the broader Region to concentrate on response and recovery efforts and prepare for future events.

CARPHA remains committed to working with CDEMA and other regional and international agencies to ensure a well-coordinated, effective health and disaster response to the hurricane-affected Member States. The Agency has developed technical guidance including (i) CARPHA’s Emergency Response Package for Hurricane-Impacted Member States, Post-Hurricane Beryl, (ii) CARPHA Shelter Surveillance Guidelines, and (iii) Guidelines for portable toilets.   Additionally, a suite of food safety and other health measures promotion materials are being printed for distribution.

A social media campaign with relevant messages on health, vector-borne, food and safety has been launched on CARPHA platforms - Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.

[1] https://rcc.cimh.edu.bb/files/2024/05/2024_Atlantic_Hurricane_Season_Outlooks.pdf