标签： Antigua and Barbuda

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.

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.

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.