PAHO sends emergency medical supplies to countries affected by Hurricane Melissa

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said it has delivered more than 2.6 tons of essential medical supplies to Cuban health authorities to support the response in areas affected by Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall early that morning in eastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm, with sustained winds of up to 205 km/h (127 mph).

The shipment, dispatched from PAHO’s Regional Strategic Stockpile in Panama includes nine emergency kits containing medicines, medical and surgical supplies sufficient to care for 5,000 people over three months, as well as chlorine tablets to treat nearly eight million litres of water, electrical equipment, medical backpacks, tents, and water storage tanks, among other priority items.

The cargo was mobilized under the anticipatory action mechanism of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The supplies will be sent to the most affected areas of eastern Cuba once ground communications are restored, a PAHO release states.

“These medical supplies will help maintain basic health care, ensure access to safe water, and reduce immediate health risks following the impact of Hurricane Melissa,” said Dr. Mario Cruz Peñate, PAHO/WHO Representative in Cuba.

“Timely cooperation and prior preparedness are essential to protect the health of the population in emergency situations like this,” he added.

From its Emergency Operations Center in Washington D.C. and its office in Havana, PAHO said it continues coordinating with Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health and Civil Defense on damage assessment, service reorganization, and epidemiological monitoring in the affected areas.

In parallel, the Organization is managing the emergency procurement of additional electrical generators (10–16 KVA), mosquito nets, and more chlorine tablets for a potential second shipment to Cuba, aimed at strengthening the health response and preventing outbreaks of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and other arboviruses, as well as waterborne diseases, which carry a higher risk after major weather events.

PAHO prepares aid shipment to Jamaica

PAHO has also activated its Emergency Operations Center in Barbados to coordinate the regional response to Hurricane Melissa. From this center, the damage to the health infrastructure in affected countries is being assessed, with the goal of supporting the restoration of essential health services and ensuring continuity of care for the most impacted communities.

In addition, PAHO said its Regional Strategic Stockpile in Panama is ready to dispatch 5.5 additional tons of humanitarian aid supplies as soon as the airport in Jamaica reopens.

The shipment includes an inter-agency emergency health kit containing life-saving medicines and medical supplies, and a non-communicable diseases kit, each sufficient for 10,000 people for three months, a trauma and emergency surgery kit for 50 patients, 50 medical backpacks, a hurricane response kit, field care tents, water storage tanks, 300 treated mosquito nets, and personal protective equipment (PPE) including surgical gowns, gloves, N95 masks, and face shields.

PAHO said it will continue monitoring the situation in Cuba, Jamaica and the Caribbean in close collaboration with national governments, United Nations agencies, and humanitarian partners to ensure an effective response focused on the recovery of the health system and the protection of life and health of affected populations. Hurricane Melissa caused considerable damage across Haiti and the Dominican Republic before making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane where it battered the northern Caribbean state before weakening slightly as is made landfall in eastern Cuba. News reports from various agencies indicate that the hurricane is responsible for up to 27 deaths.