Mpox threat, increase in Malaria and Dengue cases under scrutiny ahead of COHSOD meeting

Crime and violence as a public health issue, regional health security, human resources for health, disease surveillance, and matters pertaining to the Port-of-Spain Declaration on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) were among the priority issues discussed at the Meeting of Officials preparatory to the Forty-Seventh Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) – Health, held virtually on September 11, 2024.

The meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Dr. Andy St. Hilaire, Officer-in- Charge, Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Dominica. Chief Medical Officers, national health officials and representatives from regional institutions and bodies, including the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Human Resources for Health Caribbean Commission and the Regional Nursing Body, were in attendance. Regional and international partners, the Global Fund and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organisation (WHO), also participated.

Presentations were made on the Region’s epidemiological trends, specifically, how these will affect policy, and the possible approaches to eliminate communicable diseases. Discussions also focused on strengthening the Region’s health systems and boosting its human resources for health capacity. Of special significance was the presentation of the policy brief on the migration of healthcare workers in the Caribbean, for consideration by health sector development stakeholders.

Delivering opening remarks, Programme Manager of Health Sector Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Tamara Bobb, underscored the impact of Hurricane Beryl on CARICOM Member States. She referred to the devastation in Grenada and, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the significant setbacks to the respective health systems.

“Events such as these are only expected to intensify due to the effects of climate change,” stated Bobb.

The programme manager highlighted an increase in the incidence of endemic infectious diseases, including Dengue and Malaria. In addition, she noted that Member States have been advised to remain vigilant to the threat of Mpox, which was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO in August 2024.

“NCDs continue to be among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the Caribbean,” she said. “Approximately 76 per cent of all deaths in the Region are caused by NCDs.”

Bobb also advised that the incidence of crime and violence has increased in the Region, leading to its declaration by Heads of Government as a public health issue in 2023.

Regarding the Region’s representation within international fora, the programme manager emphasised that the CARICOM Secretariat remains committed to ensuring that Member States’ specific needs are expressed, and that the Community continues to make valuable contributions to setting the global health agenda. She invited the meeting to consider the development of key international partnerships and the implications of the Amendments to the International Health Regulations that were recently passed in the Seventh-Seventh World Health Assembly.

This Meeting was crucial to the continued leadership and strategic direction of the Region’s health sector development as critical stakeholders prepare for the Forty-Seventh COHSOD – Health, which will be held September, 27-28, 2024 in Washington DC, USA.(CARICOM Secretariat)