About the Programme
CARPHA's Foodborne Diseases (FBD) and Zoonoses Programme uses a One Health approach to strengthen regional capacity to prevent, detect, assess, and respond to foodborne, waterborne, and zoonotic threats. The Programme supports integrated epidemiological, laboratory, environmental, animal health, and tourism surveillance; early warning and outbreak response; timely risk communication; and multisectoral coordination across CARPHA Member States (CMS).
CARPHA works with Ministries responsible for health, agriculture, environment, tourism, and food safety, as well as regional and international partners, to protect health, strengthen food safety, and reduce the social and economic effects of outbreaks.
Key Components of the Programme
- 1. One Health coordination, governance, and partnerships
- 2. Integrated surveillance and regional early warning
- 3. Laboratory surveillance, referral, and confirmation
- 4. Outbreak investigation and response support
- 5. Risk communication and community engagement
- 6. Training, simulation exercises, and One Health workforce development
- 7. Food safety across the farm-to-fork continuum
Background
The Caribbean consists predominantly of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Dependence on tourism and food imports, frequent travel, and vulnerability to extreme weather increase the Region’s risk of foodborne, waterborne and zoonotic diseases. Strong surveillance and coordinated response are essential to protect residents, visitors and regional health security.
Since 2003, the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), now CARPHA, has led a regional FBD Programme. The Programme supports Member States through surveillance, laboratory services, outbreak investigation, food safety activities, capacity building and multisectoral collaboration. In 2024, CARPHA revitalized and expanded the Programme through its Pandemic Fund Project. Using a One Health approach, the Programme now strengthens integrated digital surveillance and early warning, laboratory systems, One Health workforce capacity and coordination across the human, animal, food and environmental health sectors.