health
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CARPHA Media Briefing on Hantavirus (Andes Strain) | Statement by Dr Lisa Indar, Executive Director
CARPHA, as the regional Public Health Agency and the CARICOM health head, has been monitoring the Hantavirus outbreak aboard the international expedition cruise vessel, the Dutch registered MV Hondius, originally reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 2 May as a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness which departed Argentina on 1 April 2026 on a tour of the South Atlantic. …
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A Community of Immunity: Caribbean Leadership in Vaccination
“The Region is moving with precision because of our collective actions. We take great pride in our legacy. The Americas was the first Region in the world to eliminate smallpox and poliomyelitis. Within our own Caribbean Community, we have reached even more extraordinary milestones, having successfully eliminated many vaccine-preventable diseases, including diphtheria, congenital rubella syndrome, and rubella.” Helen Royer, Director,…
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CARICOM Secretary-General: AI, Genomics and Digital Health Will Transform Caribbean Public Health
“We are entering an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI), genomics, and digital health platforms are no longer futuristic, but offer an immediate path to leapfrog historical barriers. Imagine a Caribbean Community where genomic research enables us to tailor non-communicable disease treatments to our uniquely complex genetic heritage, or AI-driven surveillance that predicts a pandemic outbreak weeks before it hits our…
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From Dialogue to Delivery: CARICOM COHSOD Chair Urges Caribbean Leaders to Unite on Health Security
“We can treat this as just another meeting or a moment of consequence. A moment to decide whether we act as individual states or as one Caribbean. A moment to decide whether we adapt slowly or transform boldly. Our people are not waiting for reports. They are waiting for care. For access. For outcomes. We need to deliver!“ This was…
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CARICOM Recognises Nurses’ Courage and Leadership in Hurricane Melissa Response
Despite challenges, including the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, workforce shortages, migration, and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), regional nursing leadership has prevailed through strategic collaborations and innovation. These were the sentiments shared by CARICOM at the Fifty-Fourth Joint Meeting of the Executive and Education Committees and the Twenty-Third Meeting of the Practice Committee of the Regional Nursing…
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CARICOM COHSOD Chair Calls for Innovation, Equity and Financing to Sustain Caribbean HIV Response
“The global HIV response is entering a difficult moment. Funding pressures are growing. Some international support is declining. Prevention programmes are often the first to feel the impact. In fact, UNAIDS warns that if prevention services decline significantly, the world could see nearly four million additional HIV infections over the next five years. We must therefore ensure that adequate funding…
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CARICOM and Botswana strengthen diplomatic ties
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – Formal diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Republic of Botswana strengthened on Thursday 27 November, as CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett, welcomed a new Ambassador from the Southern African country, Her Excellency Ms. Benetia Tumelo Chingapane.“Your appointment signals the beginning of a new chapter in a friendship built on bilateral…
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CARPHA Stands in Solidarity with the People of Jamaica Following the Impact of Hurricane Melissa
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. October 30, 2025. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) stands in firm solidarity with the Government and people of Jamaica, who continue to endure the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Our hearts are with the families who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods and with communities now facing the difficult task of rebuilding. As…
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CARICOM States are small but not powerless – Assistant Secretary-General Elizabeth Solomon
(Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – “We, the small states of the Caribbean, are not powerless.” Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, Ms. Elizabeth Solomon This sentiment was expressed by Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations at the CARICOM Secretariat, Ms. Elizabeth Solomon, during an address at a UN80 Conference hosted by The University of the…
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CARICOM-UNICEF Study Finds Caribbean Youth Facing High Rates of Depression and Anxiety
Friday, 24 October 2025 (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown): A significant number of children and adolescents across the Caribbean are experiencing high levels of symptoms of depression and anxiety. This is according to the 2025 Caribbean Child and Youth Mental Health Research Study Report conducted by the CARICOM Secretariat and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In 2024, the survey…
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