The Caribbean Public Well being Company (CARPHA) carried out an built-in mission to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to strengthen surveillance, early warning and response, laboratory, well being and meals security capability in preparation for the 8th Summit of Heads of State and Authorities of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on March 1st and the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) T20 Mens’ World Cup in June. CELAC welcomed 33 Heads of State and Governments, their respective delegations and regional company representatives.
The CARPHA mission, led by Dr. Lisa Indar, Director, Surveillance, Illness Prevention and Management (SDPC), comprised individuals from a number of CARPHA departments, Ms. Angela Hinds, Head, Well being Data, Communicable Ailments and Emergency Response (HCE), Dr. Laura-Lee Boodram, Head, Caribbean Regional Subject Epidemiology and Laboratory Coaching Programme, Dr. Michelle Hamilton, Head of Laboratory Providers and Networks (LSN), Mr. Shane Kirton, Programme Supervisor, Environmental Well being and Sustainable Improvement (EHSD), Drs. Maurice Frank and Jarelle Branford, Technical Officers, HCE, Mr. Keston Daniel, Epidemiologist, Regional Tourism and Well being Program (THP) and Mrs. Danielle Gordon-John, Senior Laboratory Technologist.
Dr. Simone Keizer Beache, Chief Medical Officer (SVG), remarked “The built-in CARPHA SDPC in-country mission came about in the course of the preparations for SVG’s internet hosting of the CELAC Summit. The schedule was difficult given the competing calls for, however the willingness and suppleness of the CARPHA staff and the popularity of its significance by the SVG staff led to a profitable mission. We strongly advocate that every one CARPHA Member States take full benefit of the capability constructing alternatives on supply.” Dr. Lisa Indar indicated, “The huge scope of actions executed by CARPHA covers many sides of strengthening general public well being surveillance and motion. It’s the primary of a sequence of visits for host nations for the ICC T20 Mens’ World Cup towards constructing regional capability to organize CARPHA Member States to mitigate in opposition to doable public well being threats.”
Key outcomes of this mission included:
- A 2-day workshop on Communicable Ailments Surveillance for Well being Employees carried out with 37 individuals throughout the well being sector to perceive case definitions and well timed reporting to the central stage.
- Conduct of a Nationwide Danger Evaluation for mass gatherings, in collaboration with PAHO, utilizing the WHO/PAHO Mass Gathering Danger Evaluation Software. The outcomes of the danger evaluation can be used to information preparation and response for the upcoming ICC T20 CWC.
- A desktop simulation train with 34 individuals, together with public well being nurses, environmental well being officers and legislation enforcement. This train examined how individuals responded to a number of public well being eventualities throughout mass gathering occasions and recognized gaps/challenges of the identical.
- Speedy response coaching for 17 public well being professionals, together with individuals from the safety/protection pressure and the Nationwide Emergency Administration Organisation. The coaching reviewed eventualities that necessitated mounting a response to a public well being emergency by quickly dispatching a multidisciplinary staff to analyze and implement mitigating measures to include the state of affairs.
- Mass gathering surveillance coaching, carried out for 16 key public well being workers of the MOHWE, together with the CMO and nationwide epidemiologist. An all-hands-on-deck strategy was taken emphasizing the necessity for each day and real-time reporting, monitoring, response, coordination and communication. CARPHA regional mass gathering syndromic surveillance system (MGSS) was detailed, together with nationwide surveillance, tourism-based surveillance and the brand new module developed for mass gatherings. Nurses on the well being command centre for the CELAC summit had been additionally skilled and registered on MGSS.
- Coaching on Meals and Environmental Well being security throughout mass gatherings for 82 meals handlers, together with those that had been offering the catering for the CELAC summit. The coaching targeted on guaranteeing all meals handlers are outfitted with the suitable data and instruments to organize, cook dinner, retailer and serve meals to company on the institutions and in a Mass Gathering setting.
- Coaching in Prevention and Management of Infectious Ailments, carried out for 50 people within the hospitality sector with a further deal with specificities of Mass Gatherings. The session aimed to construct capability to shortly determine and reply to instances of Infectious Ailments and included individuals from the resort, meals, and beverage sectors a few of which had been working carefully with the CELAC summit and can be working with the upcoming Cricket World Cup.
- Assessments of the laboratory community of SVG for optimization of laboratory providers out there in-country. Coaching in testing for precedence pathogens throughout an emergency response and/or mass gathering was carried out for seven laboratory workers of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital and the Molecular Laboratory. Protocols had been additionally developed for the operations of an built-in laboratory service, supported by a Cellular Testing Crew from CARPHA.
- The CELAC website go to, inclusive of the cellular emergency operations centre (EOC) and its services, was carried out by the CARPHA and MOHWE staff.
These workshops proved instrumental in figuring out and addressing varied challenges. This joint mission has strengthened SVG’s surveillance and response capability and preparedness to successfully anticipate and handle potential challenges, guaranteeing a seamless and safe CELAC and T20 CWC event expertise for all.
CARPHA and SVG proceed to work towards supporting SVG’s preparation for these large-scale mass gathering occasions. The CARPHA staff offered help to SVG for the CELAC summit on March 1st as follows: (i) help at Nationwide Laboratory (ii) help at well being EOC (HEOC) and (iii) help on the well being command website at Sandals.
This CARPHA mission to St. Vincent and the Grenadines was made doable by the World Financial institution by way of the Organisation of Jap Caribbean States (OECS) Regional Well being Undertaking.
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