Kingston, Jamaica. November 14, 2025 – The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), under its established Incident Management Team – Emergency Response protocol, was formally deployed through the Regional Response Mechanism, coordinated by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), in support of the people and Government of Jamaica following the catastrophic passage of Hurricane Melissa.
CARPHA, in alignment with its mandate as the Region’s sole public health agency, focused on the rapid assessment of public health needs to guide short, medium and long-term recovery efforts in the health sector. This strategic intervention complemented the multi-disciplinary efforts of the CDEMA-led Rapid Needs Assessment Team (RNAT) which included technical experts from CARPHA; Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU); Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); CDEMA; Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM); Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO); Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA); Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU); Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Barbados; Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); International Organization for Migration (IOM); Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA); United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC); United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); University of the West Indies Television (UWI TV); Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Trinidad; Wellbright College USA; World Bank; the World Food Programme (WFP) and other regional and international partners.
On this mission, Dr. Lisa Indar, CARPHA’s Executive Director, Dr. Horace Cox, Director - Surveillance Disease Prevention and Control and Incident Commander, as well as Mr. Megueal Julien, Emergency & Response and Early Warning Systems Epidemiologist under the Pandemic Fund, participated in high-level meetings with policy makers from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica as well as other government agencies. The RNAT conducted field assessments from November 1-5, 2025 across Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, St. Andrews, St. Ann, St. James, and Trelawny. These engagements fostered inter alia, rapid health assessments and coordination with national authorities and partners to ensure targeted support and effective resource allocation.
In part, CARPHA’s technical contributions have focused on select thematic areas, namely:
- Conducting rapid health sector assessments to identify urgent needs and gaps
- Supporting disease surveillance, laboratory investigation and outbreak prevention efforts
- Advising on public health risk mitigation strategies, and
- Strengthening coordination among health actors and emergency responders
CARPHA noted the significant damage to health infrastructure across western and southern Jamaica and the cascading impact on service delivery, surveillance, and other public health programmes. Extensive damage was observed to the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, in Westmoreland and community shelter sites William Knibb Memorial High School in Trelawny and Craighton Primary School in St. Andrew.
Speaking on the initial observations from one ground zero site in St. Elizabeth, Dr. Cox shared:
“The risk of emergence and spread of diseases remains a concern, with increased disease threats such as gastroenteritis, dengue, and leptospirosis due to disruptions in water and sanitation facilities as well as increased vector proliferation”. Dr. Cox added, “While in the days immediately after the passage of the hurricane, there are reports of an increase in the number of injuries, major health issues threaten to become a reality over the next weeks. On-site community engagement reinforcing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and vector control efforts remain of paramount importance”.
Prospective Approaches to Recovery:
Follow-up detailed assessments over the next weeks have been recommended for St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, and Trelawny Parishes to monitor WASH restoration, disease trends, and workforce stabilisation. CARPHA will explore opportunities to support the strengthening of syndromic, injury and shelter surveillance, laboratory capacity as well as community engagement with an emphasis on sensitising on public health risks. A second shipment of essential public health supplies is being prepared for Jamaica.
While CARPHA’s initial deployment was with CDEMA and the RNAT, future CARPHA interventions will be guided by bilateral exchanges with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica with an emphasis on delivering technical cooperation in key thematic areas. This RNAT deployment was financially supported by the Caribbean Development Fund (CDF), reinforcing the collective investment in resilient health systems and disaster preparedness while underscoring CARPHA’s commitment to regional solidarity and its mandate to safeguard public health across the Caribbean.
For more information about CARPHA’s response to the impact of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, please visit our website: www.carpha.org. You may also view Hurricane Melissa Situation Reports here.
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