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11/5/2014 
CARICOM ADOPTS TEN-POINT EBOLA PLAN  
Caribbean leaders have adopted a ten-point plan of action to ensure the deadly Ebola virus does not reach the region. Cuba is also expected to play an integral part in the initiative. The announcement was made after a four-hour meeting held at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s yesterday afternoon. The plan, which is referred to as, Stop Ebola There and Here (Seth), also includes measures to seek financial support from non-governmental organisations and business communities. 1. strengthen effective, coordinated measures at ports of entry to prevent Ebola from entering our Community, including harmonising travel restrictions; 2. strengthen health systems including training, equipment, laboratories and containment, and enlist the participation of airlines in the Region in transporting specimens and response teams; 3. create a Regional Rapid Response Team (Carib REACT) able to reach any Member State in twenty-four (24) hours to support the national response team to contain/stop an outbreak early on; 4. launch an intensive public education campaign for citizens of the Region, visitors and those outside; 5. organize a comprehensive resource mobilisation effort including a possible Stop Ebola There and Here (SETH) Fund, to which governments, citizens and businesses here and abroad may donate; 6. finalise and implement the harmonised regional operational response plan by end-November, coordinated with national response plans; 7. participate in capacity-building efforts at the global and regional levels to gain experience for our benefit; 8. establish a Regional Coordinating establish a Regional Coordinating Mechanism on Ebola (RCME) with CARPHA as Chair, including the CARICOM and OECS Secretariats, IMPACS, CDEMA, and inviting Cuba to participate, The RCME will report to the Lead Head of Government on Health, with the immediate responsibility to develop a comprehensive Regional Strategy to address Ebola preparedness in collaboration with PAHO/WHO; 9. invite PAHO/WHO, the United Nations, development partners and other contributors to a meeting within one (1) month to expand the effectiveness of our collective response; 10. review and reinforce the effectiveness of these measures as implemented at intersessional meeting of Conference in February and again at our Conference of Heads in July 2015. The meeting was attended by several CARICOM heads of government, secretary-general of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, and executive director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency, Dr James Hospedales. Chairman of conference of CARICOM and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the discussions focused on the possible health impact of the virus and also the possibilities of the economic and social consequences one case could have. He says the region’s response to the diseases must be a community effort and no CARICOM Member state must battle these public health challenges on its own. The meeting also centred on the chikungunya virus outbreak. As of 27 October, 2014, cases of Chik-V had been confirmed in 23 of 24 Member States (CMS). Ministries of Health and CARPHA, with the collaboration of PAHO/WHO, and partners such as, the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and French Institute Pasteur, have been working assiduously to control the epidemic. However, spread has continued with temporary economic disruption in some countries. Against this background, chief among the decisions that the Heads of Government have taken are: 1. that there must be a multi-sectoral approach to fighting the disease that would include education, tourism, media, local government and other sectors and capabilities, including private enterprises, and explore the use of new technologies 2. that there must be a well-coordinated, continuous public education campaign on how the disease is spread, targeting the citizenry, travelers, and tourism stakeholders 3. the strengthening of vector control response capacity 4. the facilitation by PAHO/WHO of Bulk purchase of essential public health supplies, such as bed nets, insecticides and repellent The Heads of Government also mandated a partnership among CARPHA, the CARICOM Secretariat and PAHO/WHO to establish an annual ‘Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week’ to facilitate education and vector control. The Heads of Government extended their appreciation to the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago for the excellent arrangements that were put in place at short notice for hosting this very important Special Meeting. Source: caribbean press releases
 

 


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CARICOM ADOPTS TEN-POINT EBOLA PLAN