Caribbean Public Health Agency

Caribbean Public Health Agency
Agency overview
Formed	2013; 11 years ago
Preceding agencies	The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI); The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC); The Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI); The Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC); The Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (CRDTL);
Jurisdiction	CARICOM
Headquarters	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; 10°40′26″N 61°31′28″W / 10.67389°N 61.52444°W
Agency executive	Dr. Cheryl Joy St. John, Executive Director;
Website	http://www.carpha.org/

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is a regional public health agency headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago^[2] which was established by CARICOM leaders in July 2011^[1] and began operation in 2013.^[2]

CARPHA combines the functions of five pre-existing regional health institutions:^[3] The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), The Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI), The Caribbean Health Research Centre (CHRC), and The Caribbean Research and Drug Treatment Laboratory (CRDTL).

History

The CARPHA was established in 2013.

On 14 May 2014, the CARPHA acknowledged the gift by the Government of Canada of a Biosafety level 3 laboratory.^[4]^[5]

Role

CARPHA aims to address regional issues including:^[6]

Responding to disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and flooding.
Monitoring and managing both communicable diseases (e.g. HIV/AIDS and COVID-19) and non communicable diseases (e.g. obesity and diabetes) that are prevalent in the region.
Monitoring and preventing injuries, violence and illnesses in work places.
Contributing to global health agreements and compliance with international health regulations.

COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic CARPHA has been performing tests for 18 countries in the region but warned on 5 April 2020, that they were running short on reagents required for COVID-19 testing and expected to be able to continue testing for three weeks.^[7]^{[needs update]}

On 9 April 2020, the European Union announced a grant of €8M (US$8.6M), which will be implemented by the Caribbean Public Health Agency, for the fight against the coronavirus.^[8]^{[needs update]}

On 11 April 2020, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados who is the CARICOM Chair, called a special Heads of Government meeting to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and establish a common public health protocol, and border policy.^[9] The governments have agreed to the proposal in a virtual meeting.^[10]^{[needs update]}

Membership

CARPHA has 26 full members throughout the Americas.^[11]

Country	Joined	Population^[12]^[13]
Anguilla	-	15,753
Antigua and Barbuda	-	93,219
Aruba	-	106,537
Bahamas	-	407,906
Barbados	-	281,200
Belize	-	400,031
Bermuda	-	64,185
BES Islands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba)	-	26,706
British Virgin Islands	-	31,122
Cayman Islands	-	68,136
Curaçao	-	190,338
Dominica	-	72,412
Grenada	-	124,610
Haiti	-	11,447,569
Guyana	-	804,567
Jamaica	-	2,827,695
Montserrat	-	4,417
Saint Kitts and Nevis	-	47,606
Saint Lucia	-	179,651
Sint Maarten	-	44,042
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	-	104,332
Suriname	-	612,985
Trinidad and Tobago	-	1,525,663
Turks and Caicos Islands	-	45,114

References

^ ^a ^b "CARICOM to Establish Health Agency". Caribbean Journal. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Remarks by Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, (CARICOM) At The Launch of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)". CARICOM. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ "Caribbean Public Health Agency to launch operations in 2013". Kaieteur News. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ "BSL-3 lab funded by Canada initiative of The Global Partnership Program Press Release". Germfree Laboratories, Inc. 20 May 2014.
^ "Canada donates Biosafety Level 3 modular laboratory to Caribbean health authorities". Homeland Security News Wire. News Wire Publications, LLC News Wire Publications, LLC. 2 June 2014.
^ "About The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)". CARPHA. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ "Global shortage of key ingredient could affect COVID-19 testing in Caribbean". Jamaica Observer. 5 April 2020.
^ "EU provides US$8.6M grant for C'bean to combat COVID-19". Kaieteur News. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
^ "COVID-19: Special CARICOM Heads of Government meeting scheduled". Loop News Barbados. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
^ "Caricom-staatshoofden stemmen in met gezamenlijk gezondheidsprotocol". Suriname Herald (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ "Caribbean Public Health Agency Member States". The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.

External links

Official website

[caribjournal-2011-1] "CARICOM to Establish Health Agency". Caribbean Journal. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[caricom-2013-2] "Remarks by Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, (CARICOM) At The Launch of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)". CARICOM. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[kaieteurnew-2012-3] "Caribbean Public Health Agency to launch operations in 2013". Kaieteur News. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[bsl3-4] "BSL-3 lab funded by Canada initiative of The Global Partnership Program Press Release". Germfree Laboratories, Inc. 20 May 2014.

[hsnbsl3-5] "Canada donates Biosafety Level 3 modular laboratory to Caribbean health authorities". Homeland Security News Wire. News Wire Publications, LLC News Wire Publications, LLC. 2 June 2014.

[carpha-about-2020-6] "About The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)". CARPHA. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[jamaicaobserver-5april-7] "Global shortage of key ingredient could affect COVID-19 testing in Caribbean". Jamaica Observer. 5 April 2020.

[8] "EU provides US$8.6M grant for C'bean to combat COVID-19". Kaieteur News. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

[9] "COVID-19: Special CARICOM Heads of Government meeting scheduled". Loop News Barbados. Retrieved 13 April 2020.

[10] "Caricom-staatshoofden stemmen in met gezamenlijk gezondheidsprotocol". Suriname Herald (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[carpha-members-2020-11] "Caribbean Public Health Agency Member States". The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). Retrieved 7 April 2021.

[UN_WPP-12] "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.

[UN_WPP_2022-13] "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.

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v t e Health in the Americas
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela
Dependencies and territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Falkland Islands French Guiana Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saba Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands
North America Central America Caribbean South America

v t e Biological warfare and bioterrorism
Modern incidents	Unit 731 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack 1989 California medfly attack 2001 anthrax attacks Wood Green ricin plot 2003 ricin letters 2013 ricin letters
Prevention and response	Australia Group Caribbean Public Health Agency Center for Health Security Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Global Health Security Initiative Health Threat Unit Laboratory Response Network India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
Biological agents	Anthrax Avian influenza Botulinum toxin Brucellosis Burkholderia pseudomallei Chlamydophila psittaci Coxiella burnetii Ebola Equine encephalitis (Eastern Western Venezuelan) Foodborne illness Fungi Glanders Hantavirus Henipavirus Legionnaires' disease Marburg virus Mold Plague Ricin Salmonella enterica Salmonellosis Salmonella typhi Smallpox Staphylococcus Tularemia Typhus Viral hemorrhagic fever
Related concepts	Agro-terrorism Anthrax hoaxes Psychochemical weapons Bacteria Biocontainment Biological hazard Biological warfare in popular culture Ethnic bioweapon Decontamination Entomological warfare Infectious disease Virus Toxin Terrorism
International law	Geneva Protocol Biological Weapons Convention United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540
Wiktionary definition Wikimedia Commons Wikisource

v t e Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Secretariat (Secretary-General)
History	West Indies Federation Caribbean Free Trade Association Treaty of Chaguaramas Single Market and Economy (CSME)	Caribbean portal
Members	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas¹ Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Haiti¹ Jamaica Montserrat² St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago
Associate members	Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Turks and Caicos Islands
Observers	Aruba Colombia Dominican Republic Mexico Puerto Rico Sint Maarten Venezuela
Institutions	Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO) Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) Court of Justice (CCJ) Disaster Emergency Management (CDEMA) Examinations Council (CXC) Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Single Market and Economy (CSME)
Related organizations	CARIFORUM Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
¹ Member of the Community but not of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) ² British overseas territory awaiting entrustment to join the CSME