The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Frederick Mitchell attended the Seventeenth Special Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) November 4 in Trinidad and Tobago. The primary purpose of the Meeting was “to review action being taken regarding the current challenging public health issues facing the Region, namely Ebola and Chikungunya Virus diseases, and to agree on the way forward.” The Minister was accompanied by the Hon. Dr. Perry Gomez, Minister of Health. Other members of the Bahamas Delegation included Dr. Glen Beneby, Chief Medical Officer; Under Secretary Peter Deveaux-Isaacs, Coordinator, National Ebola Task force; and Dr. Elaine Monica Davis, Honorary Consul for The Bahamas at Trinidad and Tobago.

Heads of Government and Heads of Delegation expressed concern in relation to the possible health impact of the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) and how a single case could cause significant disruption in the economic and social life in the Region. They recognized that no single member should battle these public health challenges on its own, but rather the responses must be a community effort. In that regard, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) would be called upon to help to coordinate the Region’s responses.

In respect to Ebola, the Lead Head of Government for Human Resource Development, Health and HIV/AIDS, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis made a thorough presentation on the conditions which gave rise to the epidemic, projections of the epidemic, likelihood of Ebola entering the Caribbean, Lessons Learnt and Actions to Date, Gaps in Ebola Preparedness, Gaps in Regional Health Security, Support for International Development Partners, International Health Regulations and the Issue of Travel Bans and Economic Impact. He commented on the need to embrace the training opportunities offered by the Republic of Cuba and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). Under the theme “Stop Ebola There and Here,” Dr. Douglas proposed a Ten-point Plan of Action to address the Ebola threat from a Regional level. The Plan, which was supported by Heads of Government, includes the following:

(1) strengthen effective, coordinated measures at ports of entry to prevent Ebola from entering our Community, including harmonising travel restriction;

(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 business 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 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, the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, 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, other development partners and 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 the Intercessional Meeting of Conference in February 2015, and again at the Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in July, 2015.

Minister Mitchell, in his intervention, spoke to the matter of costs. He indicated that improvements to the public health infrastructure are costly, and that access to funding is critical if we are to reach a state of preparedness. He cautioned that should there ever be an outbreak of Ebola in this Region we would have to call on the international community for support, but it is important for states to do what they can to prepare.

In introducing the Minster of Health, Minister Mitchell noted that Minister Gomez is a renowned expert in infectious diseases, and that his work in HIV-AIDS is recognized throughout the Region and the world. He is the proud recipient of a CARICOM special award for this work.

Minister Gomez began his intervention by quoting the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, “we are not going to compromise the health of Bahamians but we must recognize that 70% of our economy is dependent on our tourism industry. Given this reality and the fact that we have put in place the necessary protocols needed to protect our people. I am satisfied that we will be ready in the event of exposure of the disease.”

Minister Gomez told the meeting that the Prime Minster officially appointed an Ebola Task Force on 18^th October, 2014. Since the 18^th October, this intersectoral Committee has met weekly and on weekends, ensuring that protocols and policies were refined and in place to address the threat of Ebola. The objective was to strengthen the institutional capacity of agencies across the board to meet the threat. The Minster informed the Meeting that The Bahamas has had two ‘dry-runs’ in recent weeks that tested the state of preparedness. The first involved a freighter coming from Liberia with a sick passenger on board. The passenger needed to be evacuated to hospital. he was brought to Nassau and transported to private hospital. He was later diagnosed with Malaria and died subsequently. The second occurred on 29^th October, 2014 when a charter jet with 150 passengers on board was in route to a Family Island destination from Canada via Tennessee. The Pilot advised that a passenger was displaying symptoms of possible Ebola infection. The plane was rerouted to Nassau and isolated at the LPIA. In accordance with the recently adopted protocols at the Task Force, officials were prepared and executed their responsibilities flawlessly. The public health nurses adorned their PPE’s and approach the plane. They conducted their interviews and assessments, taking vital signs, and evaluating travel and contact history. The passenger was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and the plane was cleared to proceed to its original destination. Both incidents caused a sensation among the public, but they demonstrated that proper protocols were in place to address the threat.

Minister Gomez told the Meeting that scientific evidence suggests that Ebola is not highly infectious; it is only spread when the patient is symptomatic and when one comes into contact. He said that policy makers should allow the science to influence the policies. He said “the fear must be mitigated with education and information and the reassurance that the agencies are prepared to deal with the problem.”

There was not much discussion on Chikungunya, a disease that is spreading throughout the Caribbean. CARICOM Heads decided that:

1) there must be a multisectoral approach to fighting the disease;

2) there must be a well-coordinated, continuous public education campaign;

3) the strengthening of vector control response capacity;

4) the facilitation of PAHO/WHO of bulk purchase of essential health supplies, such as bed nets, insecticides, and repellent.

Minster Mitchell also thanked the Meeting, on behalf of the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, for so graciously agreeing to the next Heads Intercessional Meeting in Nassau on 26-27February, 2015, when the Chairmanship of CARICOM will rotate to The Bahamas.