Project: 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Health System Strengthening for Prevention and Control of Outbreaks of Zika and other Mosquito-borne Diseases in the Caribbean:

Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases present a major threat to regional health security, contributing significantly to increased morbidity and mortality in Caribbean populations. The socio-economic cost is also high as CARPHA Member States (CMS) depend heavily on tourism as a major source of revenue. Against the backdrop of the Zika outbreak in 2016, the 103rd Session of the ACP Council of Ministers mandated that the European Union be engaged in order to provide an urgent response to the then critical situation facing the Caribbean Member States. A sum of €5,000,000 was allocated from the 11th EDF Intra-ACP Programme to support CARPHA in reducing the spread and impact of mosquito borne diseases. Of this amount, €700,000 was made available through the 10th EDF Financing Agreement for support to CARPHA and implemented as a Phase I of the intervention. The remaining €4,300,000 was programmed as a stand -alone Financing Agreement under the 11th EDF Intra-ACP Programme, that is, Phase II of this intervention. The latter is being implemented through a Grant Contract which was signed off and came into effect in December 2019.

While the threat from Zika is presently reduced, a major Dengue outbreak was of grave concern in the Caribbean Region during 2019, particularly due to the increase in mortality of severe Dengue cases. Such outbreaks reoccur in a cyclical nature every 3-5 years. There is also the ever-present threat of importation of new or ‘exotic’ arboviruses into the Caribbean, the precedent having been set by previous Zika and Chikungunya outbreaks in the region. Partnerships focusing on multisectoral strategies are therefore critical to strengthening the Region’s surveillance systems, equipping the public health workforce with the necessary skills to detect, respond and contain these public health threats, and educate the community at large on participatory approaches that can be undertaken to decrease mosquito vector populations in their local environs. The signing of this last Grant reinforces CARPHA’s existing relationship with the European Union, and supports the work of the Agency in Member States. The areas of collaboration are in line with CARPHA’s strategic priorities and will seek to improve the public health of the Caribbean by reducing the impact of illnesses associated with Zika and other mosquito borne diseases.

Additional information on this Project can be found here.

Agence Française de Développement:

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) signed a €1.5 million funding agreement with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), on Wednesday 13 February 2019. The agreement aims to strengthen strategic intelligence and partnership approaches to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and strengthen regional health security in the Caribbean, which are beneficial to the peoples of our Region. Under this Project, the Vector Borne Disease (VBD) Unit has the responsibility to “Strengthen disease surveillance toward more effective evidence-informed public health decision-making and action”. Primary activities include support to the Caribbean Vector-Borne Disease Network (CariVecNet) and development of a standardised entomological surveillance tool.

Additional information on this Project can be found here.

Pilot Program for Climate Resilience:

The Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), approved in November 2008 by the PPCR Sub-Committee, was the first program to become operational under the Strategic Climate Fund, one of two funding options under the Climate Investment Funds (CIF). The PPCR is executed globally through nine (9) national programs and two (2) regional programs -the Caribbean Region is one of the regional programs. It consists of six participating countries and the overall project is managed by the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Beneficiary countries include Jamaica, Haiti, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This project speaks to a regional track of activities, which are to be implemented by organizations including CARPHA. Under this Project, the VBD Unit has the responsibility to assist with “Component 4: Applied adaptation initiatives, which includes managing consultancies for conducting VBD health audits; a study on VBD and gender dynamics and development of early warning systems for three countries (Jamaica, Haiti and St. Lucia).

Caribbean Vector Borne Disease Network (CariVecNet):

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) and its vectors have been persistent in the Caribbean region. To better prevent and control VBDs, the CariVecNet was developed through a consortium of institutions in the region with funding from the World Health Organization Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) grant.

CariVecNet was established in order to:

• Foster collaboration among member countries, international public health agencies, developmental partners, academia, technical and financial partners to strengthen VBD control programmes in the Caribbean
• Develop data sharing through an electronic website and improve community development in vector control
• Exchange surveillance information on the circulating of VBDs, share facilities for diagnosis and surveillance and collaborate on vector control research topics
• Standardise technologies and training with the expected long-term outcome being better prevention and control of VBDs

CariVecNet consists of four working groups, namely, Surveillance, Vector Control, Clinical Management and Laboratory Diagnosis.

A link to the CariVecNet website can be found here.