“The [One Health] approach significantly changes how the Region approaches community health promotion and public health education strategies.” – Dike Noel, Manager, Communications, CARICOM Secretariat
Communication and health promotion specialists from 25 CARICOM Member States and institutions have enhanced their capacity to further develop risk communication strategies by employing the “One Health” approach, which links human health to the health of animals and ecosystems.
This was the focus of the Regional Health Communication Network (RHCN) Capacity Building Workshop: Strengthening Communication Strategies and Fostering One Health Partnerships, facilitated by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) from 4-5 May 2025, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC) in Bridgetown, Barbados. The workshop was held alongside other pre-conference meetings ahead of the 69th CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference.
CARICOM Secretariat’s Manager, Communications, Dike Noel, participated and described the experience as enlightening.
“For two days, we discussed the One Health approach, managing infodemics, risk and crisis communication, and strategies for effective communication planning before and during public health emergencies. It was great to hear the perspectives of health practitioners in the process and how these views can be taken into consideration in the planning process. What piqued my interest the most over the two days, were the discussions on managing infodemics and the testimonials on the management of knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am quite optimistic that the proposed Caribbean Infodemic Response Network will be a positive force for our Region,” stated the Manager, Communications.
He emphasised that “One Health” was crucial for viewing public health holistically: examining threats to human health in conjunction with environmental and animal factors.
“This significantly changes how the Region approaches community health promotion and public health education strategies,” he added.
During her opening remarks at the start of the 2-day workshop, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA, stated:
“The One Health approach has been the cornerstone of CARPHA’s work alongside our regional and international partners. With this strategic approach we have seen tangible successes; improved diagnostic capacities, policy advancement, training initiatives and more resilient community-based interventions”. Dr. Indar also added, “Our aim is to walk away with actionable strategies and concrete plans that strengthen collaboration, refining communication approaches and emergency preparedness across our Member States”.
Dr Mark Sami, Director-Corporate Services at CARPHA, in his remarks, noted:
“Over the last few years, under the Regional Health Security Grant, the European Union has funded the strengthening of risk communication in our CARPHA member states. This RHCN workshop focuses on emergency preparedness, through strengthening communications and One Health partnerships and would not be possible without the support of the European Union.”
Dr. Florian Luetticken, Team Leader for Governance, Security and Human Development, European Union’s Barbados Office, remarked:
“We wish to congratulate CARPHA for driving forward this cooperation here in the Caribbean and would like to see more collaboration between the Caribbean and the European Union (EU)”.
Dr Luetticken also encouraged participants to think outside of the box and be creative in what can be done together as partners with the European Union.”
Sharing her key takeaways from the workshop, Public Health Nurse Mayara Wijsman from the Sint Eustatius remarked:
“We have to work together with One Health, because collaboration is important. I also plan to engage with my community prior to writing policies.” Another participant, Dr. Jeanty Fils Exalus from Haiti shared that he learned new strategies in engaging with his stakeholders through social media, “In Haiti we have a major problem of misinformation spread, this is an area we really have to tackle. These strategies will assist in combating misinformation but also reach them in terms of responding to health issues”.
Additional Information:
CARPHA established the RHCN in January 2015. The 11th European Development Fund supported this capacity-building workshop; the Network comprises Communications and Health Promotion Specialists from CARPHA Member States, who work together to ensure a more effective distribution of public health information throughout the Region.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that approximately 60% of infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic in origin; in other words, they are spread from animals. Some familiar zoonotic diseases are severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H5N1, Ebola, salmonella and COVID-19. The WHO reported that zoonotic diseases are responsible for an estimated 2.5 billion cases of illness and 2.7 million deaths worldwide each year.
Acknowledgement:
- Sections of this news blog contain content provided by CARPHA.
- Photos courtesy of Dike Noel and CARPHA.
