In May 28-30, 2012, representatives from the Caribbean met in Jamaica for a “Caribbean Sub-regional Training Workshop. Introducing the new guidelines: Preparedness and Response for Chikungunya Virus Introduction in the Americas in the context of Dengue.”
November 2014 and there is a Chikungunya epidemic sweeping through the Caribbean region with some countries reporting numbers of confirmed cases that are way below what the public thinks is true.
Michael Abrahams, a doctor in Jamaica, writes in a Jamaica Gleaner piece entitled, “Chikungunya: We Were Warned”:
“I had not planned to write about chikungunya again, but recently I came across some information that is cause for concern.
In May 28-30, 2012, a chikungunya Caribbean subregional meeting was held at The Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston. The meeting was supported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in addition to the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DVBD, CDC). The participants from 22 countries included clinicians, vector-control teams, and laboratory technicians. Representatives from our own Ministry of Health were also present.
The objective of the workshop was stated to be “to raise the capacity of Caribbean countries’ health systems for the timely identification of chikungunya outbreaks in the context of other epidemic-prone diseases, such as dengue”.
At the meeting, it was established that the Caribbean was one of the most vulnerable subregions in the Americas and that aggressive vector control, among other measures, was an important component of management. Epidemiological surveillance and quarantine were also discussed, as well as the mobilisation of funding from national and international sources. As a matter of fact, international experts and health professionals present at the meeting prepared a 34-page document outlining steps to be taken to deal with chikungunya.
So, what the hell went wrong?”
Read more on “Chikungunya: We Were Warned”
Read more on PAHO Workshop on Chikungunya in the Caribbean, 2012 report