The Dominican Republic has taken a major step forward in protecting public health through the official launch of two groundbreaking national safety programs targeting meat and meat products, overseen by the General Directorate of Medicines, Food and Health Products (DIGEMAPS) via its Meat Products and Derivatives Division. Developed to shield consumers from preventable foodborne hazards, the National Programs for the Control of Pathogens and Chemical Residues aim to guarantee that all meat distributed for human consumption across the country meets rigorous safety benchmarks. The launch ceremony was hosted at the headquarters of the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD), with critical technical backing provided by the Dominican Agribusiness Laboratory (LAD), marking a landmark example of productive public-private inter-institutional collaboration designed to reinforce health surveillance and quality control across the nation’s entire agri-food supply chain. Stakeholders from across the sector gathered for the event, including senior public health authorities, leaders of the Dominican Republic’s domestic meat industry, specialized food safety technicians, official government inspectors, and key representatives from every segment of the food production, processing, and distribution network. At their core, the two new programs are designed to eliminate dangerous contaminants from the national meat supply by ensuring all products are free of harmful chemical residues, pathogenic microorganisms, and banned substances. To achieve this goal, the initiative rolls out standardized sanitary controls, validated sampling frameworks, and ongoing microbiological surveillance protocols that align fully with international food safety standards and leading global public health guidelines. During the launch event, organizers presented the full technical and regulatory structure of both programs to attending stakeholders. Key components shared included updated on-site inspection protocols, standardized microbiological testing procedures, targeted surveillance for high-risk pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STECs), and Listeria monocytogenes, as well as systematic controls for residues of veterinary medications, agricultural pesticides, and other unintended chemical contaminants. The day’s programming also included a series of targeted technical training sessions covering critical topics: best practices for microbiological risk control, the standardized N60 sampling methodology, strategies for integrating the new programs into existing daily operations at meat processing plants, protocols for managing and responding to positive contaminant test results, and proactive preventive measures that producers can implement to embed food safety into every stage of production. DIGEMAPS officials emphasized that the new initiative marks a substantial leap forward in strengthening the country’s national health inspection system for meat and meat products. Beyond protecting consumers, the agency noted that the programs will deliver broader economic benefits: boosting consumer trust in domestic meat products, improving end-to-end traceability across the livestock supply chain, and raising the global competitiveness of the Dominican Republic’s livestock sector in both domestic and international export markets. For its part, JAD and its technical arm LAD reaffirmed their long-term commitment to supporting cross-sector initiatives that advance food safety, improve the quality of Dominican agricultural goods, and build technical capacity across the domestic agribusiness sector. The launch aligns with DIGEMAPS’ core institutional mission, which uses its comprehensive meat and meat product inspection system to support national agricultural development through rigorous public health surveillance and consistent enforcement of both domestic and international regulatory requirements for all animal-derived products sold in or exported from the Dominican Republic.
分类： health
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Alert: Why are more Dominicans wearing masks again?
As multiple circulating respiratory viruses including influenza, adenovirus, and COVID-19 drive rising caseloads across the Dominican Republic, local residents have responded by increasing their use of face masks in public spaces, according to the head of the country’s leading medical organization. Waldo Ariel Suero, president of the Dominican Medical Association (CMD), shared the observation of shifting public behavior in recent days amid the growing outbreak.
Suero stressed that unaddressed early symptoms of these viral respiratory illnesses can quickly progress to severe complications, putting patients at greater risk of worse outcomes. To curb avoidable health deterioration, he issued a clear call to action for the Dominican public: maintain consistent evidence-based preventive measures, and do not delay seeking care at official public or private health centers as soon as the first signs of illness appear.
The jump in confirmed infections across the country underscores two critical unmet needs, per the CMD leader: strengthening national epidemiological surveillance systems to track virus spread in real time, and ensuring a steady, adequate supply of antiviral medications and diagnostic testing kits across all regions of the nation. “Prevention still stands as the most effective tool we have to stop these viruses from expanding into an uncontrolled, larger public health crisis,” Suero said in his statement.
Suero’s public warning aligns with growing concern among frontline medical teams across the country, who report that the surge in respiratory cases is placing significant strain on the capacity of local hospitals and outpatient clinics. Medical staff have repeatedly highlighted the life-saving value of up-to-date influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as the continued importance of wearing well-fitted masks in crowded enclosed spaces to reduce transmission risk.
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KPMG Global head of healthcare highlights digital opportunities for Barbados
Barbados is emerging as a potential regional trailblazer in integrated digital healthcare, following a high-level visit last week from KPMG’s global healthcare leadership that brought together cross-sector stakeholders to map a collaborative path forward for the sector. Beccy Fenton, KPMG’s Global Head of Healthcare, traveled to Bridgetown to hold targeted discussions with policymakers, academic researchers, and public and private healthcare leaders, centered on unlocking the full potential of digital health innovations across Caribbean island nations.
Fenton’s visit was hosted by KPMG Barbados and the firm’s specialized Global Centre of Excellence for Island Healthcare, a unique hub led by Dr. Edward Fitzgerald, Head of KPMG Islands Group Healthcare and Life Sciences. The center was designed to aggregate global insights and best practices from island healthcare systems around the world, creating space for cross-stakeholder networking and knowledge exchange — a core priority that framed all activities during Fenton’s trip.
A central public engagement of the visit was Fenton’s keynote address at the University of the West Indies Digital Health Symposium, which carried the theme “From Innovation to Impact: Advancing Digital Health in the Caribbean.” In her remarks, Fenton challenged attendees to move beyond the fragmented, isolated digital health projects that currently characterize much of the region’s progress. Instead, she pushed for the development of fully governed, interoperable, data-centric systems that can turn existing investment into tangible gains in care access, cross-provider coordination, and patient health outcomes.
“Barbados has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a more connected, resilient, and patient-first health system through intentional digital transformation,” Fenton told attendees. “The urgent priority right now is to move past the basic digitization of paper records that is the current status quo, and build integrated, interoperable systems that work across the entire continuum of care. These systems will expand access to care, reduce burdens on frontline clinicians, and deliver better results for patients. With strong cross-sector collaboration, clear governance frameworks, and a sustained focus on building public trust, Barbados is perfectly positioned to set a regional example for digital health adoption.”
Alongside the symposium, KPMG’s island healthcare team led a hands-on workshop focused on one of the region’s most persistent operational challenges: reducing the rate of missed outpatient appointments. Using a fictional but contextually realistic case study, participants mapped existing clinic appointment workflows, identified targeted digital interventions that could cut no-show rates, and prioritized solutions that are both financially realistic and scalable across small island health systems.
Workshop attendees represented a broad cross-section of the digital health ecosystem, including frontline clinicians, health system managers, digital health practitioners, policymakers, and implementation partners. Their collaborative problem-solving during the event underscored the core principle that multidisciplinary cooperation is non-negotiable for solving common systemic health challenges.
Later in the week, Dr. Fitzgerald hosted an evening reception attended by senior Barbados Ministry of Health officials, academic leaders, public and private health provider representatives, and delegates from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). In remarks at the reception, Fitzgerald emphasized that any successful effort to scale digital health strategies must be rooted in three core foundations: digital inclusion, widespread health literacy, and public trust. These must be paired with strong privacy protections, transparent governance, and clear patient consent frameworks, he noted, to ensure communities feel confident that their personal health data remains secure.
“By learning from the experiences of other island jurisdictions, we can adopt strategies that have already proven successful, and avoid costly missteps and fragmented system development that holds back progress,” Fitzgerald explained. “With the right foundational frameworks in place, Barbados can quickly build secure, integrated systems that eliminate redundant care, cut administrative burdens for providers and patients, and improve overall patient outcomes. The potential gains for the country are enormous: beyond addressing the growing burden of chronic disease, robust digital health can help build a healthier, happier, and more productive population for generations.”
Closing out the week of engagements, Christopher Brome, Office Managing Partner for KPMG in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, emphasized the tangible quality-of-life benefits that well-implemented digital health strategies can deliver to ordinary Barbadians. “Thoughtfully rolled out digital healthcare can bring care closer to home for so many people in our country,” Brome said. “The ability to consult a clinician remotely, cut down on time spent traveling and waiting for appointments, and access continuous support through tools like remote patient monitoring can have a transformative positive impact on the lives of people across our community. We are excited to continue the important conversations we started last week as we work toward this shared goal.”
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VES: SZF als motor voor echte hervorming gezondheidszorg
Suriname’s government launched its administrative renewal initiative under the slogan “Wi o kenki a systeem” (We will change the system), promising transformation across public sectors including healthcare. But growing public and expert criticism argues that outdated power structures, entrenched special interests and systemic inefficiencies remain largely unaddressed, with little to no improvement in overall care quality for citizens. The Association of Economists in Suriname (VES) has now laid out a comprehensive analysis of these failures and a detailed reform proposal in its latest quarterly journal *Inzicht*.
Between 2020 and 2025, the Surinamese government poured billions of dollars of investment into the healthcare sector, yet key outcomes remain deeply worrying according to independent experts. The sector continues to grapple with persistent staffing shortages, poor organizational coordination, limited critical resources, and rising frustration among both patients and frontline care workers. At the root of the crisis, observers note, is a misaligned funding model that incentivizes volume of care delivered rather than actual improvements in population health.
VES confirms this is the core fundamental flaw of the current system. The existing financing framework rewards more consultations, diagnostic tests and medical procedures, as each service generates separate additional revenue for providers. As a result, preventive care, long-term health improvement and cross-institutional collaborative care receive far too little priority and resources.
Against this backdrop, VES frames the ongoing crisis facing the Surinamese State Health Fund (SZF) not just as a pressing challenge, but as a rare window to implement systemic, root-and-branch reform of the entire healthcare system. The association is calling for a complete overhaul that centers prevention, care quality and measurable health outcomes, rather than service volume.
Recent comments from Health Minister André Misiekaba have added critical momentum to this reform debate. Minister Misiekaba has publicly advocated for a more strongly centralized healthcare system and a potential shift to a single-payer model, where one central public agency takes full responsibility for all healthcare financing. VES endorses this core observation: the current fragmented, decentralized system can no longer deliver effective care for Suriname’s population.
However, independent experts and VES both warn that full, unmodified centralization carries significant risks for Suriname. A fully centralized single-payer system relies on strong public institutions, stable government finances, modern digital health infrastructure and high-capacity public governance — all areas where Suriname currently faces well-documented vulnerabilities and gaps.
To address this tradeoff, VES has put forward a balanced hybrid reform model that combines centralized strategic oversight with decentralized delivery autonomy. Under this proposal, the SZF would remain the central strategic actor in the system, but would transition away from its current role as a purely administrative payment processing body. Instead, the fund would evolve into a national healthcare regulator that monitors care quality, ties provider funding directly to measured health outcomes, and actively promotes coordinated care across different institutions.
Actual direct care delivery would remain in the hands of independent public and private care providers, which would operate under clear national quality and financing rules. Major hospitals including the Paramaribo Academic Hospital, Lands Hospitaal, Wanica Hospital, Mungra Medical Center in Nickerie and Marwina Hospital would receive increased administrative and financial autonomy. This flexibility would allow these institutions to make faster operational decisions, work more efficiently, and develop into specialized regional and national expertise centers.
VES emphasizes that deep administrative reform is a non-negotiable prerequisite for this devolution of autonomy. Without improved governance, the association warns, greater independence for providers would simply reproduce the same old inefficiencies rooted in the current system. The reform requires creating space for professional, technocratic management based on expertise, transparency and measurable performance outcomes, rather than political patronage or special interest influence.
Beyond governance changes, VES argues that healthcare modernization should not rely exclusively on additional public government funding. The association calls for targeted use of external private investment, pension fund capital allocation and tax incentives to strengthen the long-term financial sustainability of the healthcare sector.
Most critically, VES says the entire funding model must be fundamentally restructured. Where the current system rewards volume of services, the new model would be focused entirely on measurable medical outcomes. Instead of prioritizing more treatments, the system would prioritize better health: fewer preventable amputations, lower rates of kidney failure, fewer hospital readmissions, and more healthy life years for all Surinamese citizens.
To deliver this shift, VES proposes adopting bundled payment models for care. Under this framework, providers do not receive payment for each individual service or procedure. Instead, they receive a single integrated payment for an entire patient care trajectory. For example, a patient with diabetes would receive one bundled payment covering screening, medication, dietary guidance and long-term monitoring. If the patient experiences fewer preventable complications, the patient, provider and funder all benefit from better outcomes and lower overall costs.
VES also calls for the development of standardized specialized care pathways for high-burden conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health conditions, maternal and child health, and infectious diseases. These integrated pathways would encourage closer collaboration between general practitioners, specialists, laboratories and hospitals across the care continuum.
Transparency must also play a far more central role in the reformed system, VES stresses. All care institutions would be required to publish regular public data on key performance metrics including wait times, complication rates, hospital-acquired infections, mortality rates and patient satisfaction. VES notes that only when care quality can be measured and compared can the system be effectively managed and continuously improved.
In conclusion, the association frames the ongoing reform debate as a defining choice for Suriname: will the country continue pouring resources into a broken system that primarily serves to perpetuate its own existing structure, or will it finally adopt a healthcare model that truly centers the health and well-being of ordinary citizens? For VES, the government’s slogan “Wi o kenki a systeem” will only gain real meaning when the healthcare sector undergoes long-overdue structural reform.
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Officials Confirm Two Imported Cases of Malaria
As Antigua and Barbuda moves to strengthen disease monitoring protocols at all international ports of entry, national health authorities are finalizing a full public briefing on two newly detected imported malaria cases. Details of the emerging public health response were shared this Thursday by Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications, during a press briefing following a weekly Cabinet meeting, where he laid out the suite of enhanced public health interventions rolled out by the country’s Ministry of Health.
Merchant confirmed that an official public update on the two imported infections will be released either before this week concludes or in the opening days of next week. “The ministry will share full details of the two malaria cases that were brought into Antigua by travelers,” Merchant stated, noting that the two individuals had only recently arrived in the twin-island nation.
The announcement of the cases comes as the Antigua and Barbuda government scales up cross-border monitoring efforts amid a backdrop of growing global health alerts, with ongoing outbreaks of Ebola, hantavirus and malaria recorded across multiple regions worldwide. To support these stepped-up safety measures, the Ministry of Health has already commenced upgrades to the operations of its national Port Health Unit, which is responsible for screening all incoming travelers at the country’s air and seaports.
Key new protocols being implemented across all ports of entry include expanded routine health screenings, mandatory non-contact temperature checks for all arrivals, and enhanced verification and tracking of travelers’ movement histories over the 21-day period prior to their arrival in Antigua and Barbuda. As an additional precautionary step to prepare for any potential spread of the disease, the country’s specialized Infectious Disease Centre is also being prepped and stood by. The facility will be available to support isolation and active monitoring of any individuals deemed to be a public health risk should the need arise.
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More Than Periods: Scrub Life Cares Returns with Its 5th Annual Women & Girls Health Expo
Five years ago, a small grassroots group set out to dismantle deep-seated silence and stigma around women’s reproductive and menstrual health in Antigua and Barbuda. Today, that initiative has grown into one of the nation’s most impactful community health movements, and this month, it is celebrating its milestone fifth anniversary with a landmark public event.
On Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Scrub Life Cares will host its 5th Annual Grow With the Flo Women & Girls Health Expo at the Cana Moravian Church Grounds in Swetes Village. The free, family-focused event is open to all members of the public, and will bring together attendees from across generations alongside healthcare providers, local nonprofits, and advocacy leaders for a full day of learning, connection, empowerment, and resource access.
What began as a targeted campaign to address period poverty and challenge menstrual shame has evolved into a holistic movement centered on whole-person wellness, health equity, and intergenerational healing. Tanya Ambrose, founder and executive director of Scrub Life Cares, emphasized that the expo and the organization’s broader work extend far beyond menstrual health, a core but not exclusive focus of their mission.
“Grow With the Flo has always been about more than periods,” Ambrose explained. “Yes, menstrual health matters, and we center that conversation because it has been ignored for far too long. But this work is also about building confidence, advancing body literacy, supporting mental wellness, improving maternal health outcomes, and making sure every woman and girl has the tools and knowledge to thrive at every stage of her life.”
For decades, open discussion of menstruation, reproductive health, and women’s bodily autonomy has been sidelined or silenced across much of the Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda. Even today, many women and girls across the region face systemic barriers to care: limited access to affordable menstrual products, incomplete or absent reproductive health education in schools, persistent cultural stigma, and widespread shame around natural bodily changes. These barriers do not stay confined to health — they impact school attendance, employment opportunities, mental wellbeing, and overall quality of life for millions, Ambrose noted.
“Menstrual health touches every area of a person’s life, yet it still does not get the urgency or openness it deserves,” Ambrose said. “When women and girls are locked out of information, products, and supportive spaces, the harm goes far beyond the monthly cycle. That is why this work matters so deeply.”
Over five years, Grow With the Flo has grown from a single annual expo to a year-round platform for advocacy and public education. Through school outreach, interactive workshops, community campaigns, and targeted engagement programs, Scrub Life Cares creates safe, shame-free spaces where young people, parents, and families can learn about puberty, menstrual care, reproductive health, consent, mental wellness, and self-advocacy.
This year’s expanded expo reflects the organization’s growing commitment to inclusive, holistic wellness. Alongside core programming focused on menstrual equity, attendees will have access to new sessions and resources covering maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health care, sexual and reproductive health education, neurodiversity and disability inclusion, and cross-cutting community care. The event is designed to welcome attendees of all ages, with dedicated youth-friendly learning spaces, interactive activities, educational breakout sessions, wellness vendor booths, free health resources, giveaways of menstrual and hygiene products, community raffles, and opportunities for families to learn and connect together.
Two new and returning features will highlight this year’s milestone event: the popular Nutrition Station will be back, and organizers will launch the Open Closet initiative, a new community-focused space that provides free clothing to attendees in a setting designed to uphold dignity, accessibility, and mutual care.
The fifth anniversary expo has drawn broad support from local community groups and corporate partners, a shift that signals growing national recognition that women’s menstrual and reproductive health is a critical public health issue in Antigua and Barbuda. Ambrose credits the movement’s growth to the widespread buy-in from sponsors, clinical partners, volunteers, community organizations, and individual donors who share the mission of building healthier, more informed, and more empowered communities.
“This event is proof of what we can accomplish when communities come together around a shared purpose,” Ambrose said. “The support we have received over the years makes it clear that people are ready for these conversations, and they understand that investing in women, girls, and families is investing in all of us.”
For Ambrose and the Scrub Life Cares team, the most meaningful impact of the past five years has been the visible transformation in how women and girls talk about their health. “We have had young girls tell us they no longer feel ashamed of their periods. Parents have shared that our sessions gave them the tools to start these important conversations at home. We have watched women gain the confidence to advocate for their own health needs,” she said. “That is the real impact. This work is about dignity, empowerment, education, and building healthier communities for everyone.”
The expo is a core component of Scrub Life Cares’ broader Menstrual Health Awareness Month campaign, and ties into the organization’s ongoing “Period-Friendly Antigua & Barbuda” initiative. That campaign advocates for policy and cultural change to create more supportive environments in schools, workplaces, healthcare facilities, and public spaces, where menstrual health is recognized as both a public health priority and a matter of basic human dignity.
As anticipation builds for the milestone event, Scrub Life Cares is inviting all community members to attend, bring their families, and join a day rooted in education, wellness, compassion, empowerment, and connection. “This is more than an expo,” Ambrose said. “It is about building a healthier, more informed, more supportive Antigua & Barbuda — one where women, girls, and families feel empowered to care for their bodies, prioritize their wellbeing, and access the education, resources, and support they deserve. At Scrub Life Cares, we believe in supporting the whole person, because health is about so much more than one single issue — it is about dignity, confidence, wellness, and community.”
As a nonprofit organization, Scrub Life Cares is dedicated to advancing menstrual equity, comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education, maternal and child health, and community wellness across Antigua and Barbuda through education, advocacy, research, and access initiatives. The organization works to address stigma, systemic inequities, and access barriers that impact women, girls, youth, and families, with the goal of building informed, empowered, and healthier communities nationwide.
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Health Minister meets with hospital bosses to look at concerns, needs and ways to improve healthcare
In a key step forward for a national evaluation of Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare infrastructure, Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs Minister Michael Joseph held a working meeting with senior executive leaders from the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre on Wednesday. The gathering marked the latest phase of the minister’s systematic assessment of how the country’s core healthcare institutions function, launched to lay the groundwork for long-term policy development. Minister Joseph clarified that this stakeholder engagement is not an isolated check-in, but a core component of a wider government push to build a complete, on-the-ground picture of the healthcare sector’s current strengths and gaps. As the Ministry of Health prepares to roll out new strategic frameworks and targeted improvement initiatives, these direct discussions with frontline facility leadership help ensure policy is rooted in real operational needs. The planned overhauls are focused on three core goals: upgrading the overall quality of healthcare delivery across the nation’s flagship medical facility, cutting bureaucratic and operational inefficiencies, and elevating the standard of care that patients receive. Conversations between Minister Joseph and the hospital’s executive team were characterized as open, honest, and centered on actionable problem-solving, rather than procedural formalities. Participants prioritized mapping out two tiers of need: pressing challenges that require immediate intervention to address service gaps, and long-term structural adjustments that will boost the hospital’s operational resilience and service quality over time. Attendees also collaborated to draft preliminary key strategies and aligned timelines for further governmental review, before full implementation begins. These preliminary plans focus specifically on streamlining internal administrative and clinical systems, reducing wait times for patients, and upgrading the overall standard of care available at the facility. Closing the meeting, Minister Joseph reaffirmed the national Ministry of Health’s unwavering commitment to collaborative partnership with the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre’s leadership team and frontline clinical and administrative staff. He emphasized that the government’s goal is to deliver tangible, meaningful improvements to healthcare access and quality that directly benefit all residents of Antigua and Barbuda, and that ongoing engagement with facility-level stakeholders will remain a core part of the improvement process moving forward.
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RCA Hosts Mental Health Workshop at Irene B Williams Secondary School
On May 21, 2026, the Rotary Club of Antigua turned its long-standing commitment to youth holistic development into action, hosting a specialized mental health workshop for students at Irene B. Williams Secondary School. Organized in collaboration with prominent mental health advocate Chaneil Imhoff, the event was designed to create a judgment-free, supportive space where young people could openly explore common mental health struggles, build practical coping skills, deepen self-awareness, and learn the value of reaching out for professional and community support when facing distress.
Tailored to address the unique pressures facing modern adolescents, the workshop combined interactive group discussions with hands-on guidance, focusing on equipping participants with actionable tools to navigate daily stress, clinical anxiety, peer pressure, and other common issues that impact young people’s wellbeing.
Elisa Graham, president of the Rotary Club of Antigua, opened the event by underscoring the organization’s core mission: uplifting the nation’s younger generation through targeted, community-centered initiatives that address unmet needs. School leadership and student support staff echoed Graham’s enthusiasm for the collaborative project. Gretchen Christopher, guidance counsellor at Irene B. Williams Secondary School, emphasized that cross-organizational partnerships are critical to building robust support networks for students within school campuses.
“Mental health challenges shape every part of a student’s life – their academic performance, their social connections, and their long-term emotional growth,” Christopher explained. “Workshops like this do more than teach skills; they reassure students they don’t have to struggle alone. There are people and organizations ready to stand with them through hard times, and we cannot thank the Rotary Club of Antigua and Ms. Imhoff enough for centering this critical work.”
Ursula Willock, principal of the host school, also commended the initiative and urged attending students to engage fully with the day’s activities. “Our first priority is our students, and that means valuing not just their test scores, but their voices and their wellbeing,” Willock said. “Events like this break down the harmful stigma that keeps too many young people silent about their struggles, and help us build a school culture rooted in openness, mutual understanding, and compassion.”
The core of the workshop consisted of a feature presentation and guided interactive discussions led by Imhoff, who encouraged attendees to make their emotional wellness a daily priority and speak openly about any concerns they face. “Too many young people grow up believing that asking for help is a sign of weakness, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Imhoff told participants. “A mental health challenge doesn’t define who you are. With the right support, practical coping strategies, and a little encouragement, every student can overcome the obstacles in their path and thrive.”
For the Rotary Club of Antigua, the workshop is just one part of the organization’s ongoing dedication to improving young lives. Through education, community service, and advocacy, the club continues to develop initiatives that strengthen local communities and create long-term positive change for Antigua’s youth.
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Ebola, Hantavirus Take Center Stage in WHA Geneva Talks
The 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) officially opened this week in Geneva, bringing together delegates from 190+ nations to advance a sweeping agenda focused on reshaping the future of global public health. Against a backdrop of rising emerging infectious disease threats, the summit has placed two urgent outbreaks — Ebola and hantavirus — at the top of its priority list, even as a procedural vote to include Taiwan as an observer failed to pass.
Belize’s Health Minister Kevin Bernard, leading the push for Taiwan’s observer status, used his official address at the assembly to reaffirm his country’s longstanding support for Taipei’s inclusion in global health governance. Bernand’s initiative, co-sponsored by 10 other like-minded countries, sought to add the issue of Taiwan’s participation to the assembly’s official agenda, but the proposal fell short of the support needed to advance.
On the public health front, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opened proceedings with a landmark announcement: he had already declared the ongoing Ebola epidemic spreading across the Republic of Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest global alert level for infectious disease outbreaks. This move marks a break from precedent, as it marks the first time a WHO Director-General has issued a PHEIC before convening the organization’s independent emergency committee to review the outbreak.
Dr. Tedros emphasized that the decision was not made lightly, noting it aligns with Article 12 of the International Health Regulations. He consulted with top health officials from both affected nations prior to issuing the alert, and acted out of deep concern over the rapid spread and growing scale of the outbreak. The WHO’s emergency committee was convened on the first day of the assembly to deliver further guidance on coordinated global response measures.
Reflecting on the growing risk of cross-border infectious disease spread, Dr. Tedros pointed to the twin outbreaks of Ebola and hantavirus reported in the fortnight leading up to the assembly as clear evidence that transnational health threats demand coordinated international action. These events, he argued, underscore the critical importance of the International Health Regulations framework and the central role of the World Health Organization in leading global health security.
Despite the urgent challenges facing global health, Dr. Tedros highlighted that the WHO has delivered meaningful progress across a range of priorities over the past term. The organization’s newly released results report features an interactive, comprehensive overview of these achievements, including granular scorecards and on-the-ground country case studies that demonstrate the impact of WHO programming around the world. Dr. Tedros encouraged delegates to engage deeply with the report to assess the organization’s work.
Beyond outbreak response, the WHA’s three-day summit will wrap up on May 23, with delegates also set to deliberate on core priorities including strengthening national health systems, expanding access to universal health coverage, addressing the public health impacts of climate change, and improving global preparedness for future pandemics.
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Ebola risk to Caribbean still low, says CARPHA
A worsening Ebola outbreak sweeping across central and eastern Africa has triggered urgent action from public health bodies around the globe, with Caribbean regional health officials moving quickly to expand monitoring and border screening—even as they confirmed Thursday that the probability of the virus reaching the island region remains minimal, despite growing international anxiety over the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently designated the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the global body’s highest alert level for cross-border public health threats. In response, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) announced it has activated enhanced monitoring and detection protocols across all its member states to guard against any accidental introduction of the virus.
CARPHA officials explained that the agency leverages its pre-existing global early warning scanning infrastructure and a interconnected network of surveillance tools to catch potential incursions at the earliest possible stage. The multi-layered system in use includes the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS), the Caribbean Vessel Surveillance System (CVSS), national syndromic monitoring run through the District Health Information System (DHIS), and the Talkwalker social listening platform to track emerging anecdotal reports of unusual illness.
In a formal statement, CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar emphasized that while the risk of Ebola reaching the Caribbean is currently low, regional nations cannot afford to drop their guard. The Caribbean’s status as one of the world’s top international travel and tourism hubs creates a persistent risk of importation via an infected traveler, she noted. “Despite the low risk, CARPHA is urging its member states to maintain a high state of readiness,” Indar said. “Because the Caribbean is a major global travel hub, the primary way the virus could arrive is through an infected traveler.”
Indar added that the agency’s integrated surveillance framework delivers a proactive, layered early warning system that equips member states to rapidly detect, verify, and respond to emerging infectious disease threats before they can spread locally. Last Monday, CARPHA took additional action by partnering with the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) to reactivate an advanced electronic border screening system at all major entry points across the region. The tool is designed to securely flag and review the travel histories of passengers who have recently visited or transited through the affected African countries, while doing so in a way that minimizes avoidable disruptions to regional travel and trade.
The current outbreak is tied to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a variant that causes severe, often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever. Outbreaks caused by this specific strain are extremely rare; prior to the current event, only two documented outbreaks have ever been recorded: one in Uganda between 2007 and 2008, and a second in the DRC in 2012. A critical challenge of this outbreak, CARPHA noted, is the complete absence of licensed vaccines or targeted, proven treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, which makes early detection and rapid response all the more critical.
Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person who is already showing symptomatic infection, or through contact with materials contaminated with the virus. Symptoms of infection develop between two and 21 days after exposure, and typically include high fever, intense headache, muscle aches, extreme weakness and fatigue, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and in advanced cases, unexplained bruising or internal or external bleeding.
CARPHA stressed that the current African outbreak does not meet the clinical definition of a pandemic, as it remains geographically concentrated and has not spread widely across multiple global regions. Even so, the agency acknowledged that the outbreak qualifies as an extraordinary event that demands coordinated, collective international action to contain. CARPHA pledged to continue closely tracking all new developments of the outbreak, and to share regular, transparent updates with all regional public health and government partners.
As of the most recent update last Saturday, local health authorities in the DRC’s Ituri Province have reported eight laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths tied to the outbreak.