Recovery efforts are getting underway, aid is heading to
the islands from the UK and now the senior medical and
healthcare professionals in the territories will be able
to receive help from PHE to restore their
public health systems.
Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Medical Director, said:
From recent work on international health
issues, PHE has built
strong working relationships with the chief medical
officers of the UK Overseas Territories in the
Caribbean. Seeing the level of damage inflicted by the
recent storms, it is imperative we provide whatever
support we can to protect public health on the islands.
Events such as hurricanes can significantly damage
public health systems. Our staff will assist those on
the ground working hard to protect the islanders from
infectious disease and other hazards, which can cause
further problems in the aftermath of a natural disaster
such as Hurricane Irma.
Health Minister, said:
People in the British Territories have been through a
truly traumatic experience and they have the full
support of this government as they rebuild their lives.
Experts from Public Health England will share their
experience with local health leaders in the region to
prevent outbreaks of disease – this will help protect
citizens in the critical aftermath and play an
important role in restoring communities.
PHE is
sending 3 staff who will be available to help develop
public health guidance if needed and to provide
specialist support to local public health professionals.
We have also opened a direct emergency response line for
local chief medical officers to access public health
advice from doctors in the UK at any time.
The work will involve assessing the risks to public
health from the damaged infrastructure and disruption to
health and social services. The plan is to do this by:
- monitoring the spread of infectious diseases which
may be circulating
- determining local capacity of laboratories and other
services
- ensuring critical vaccination programmes continue to
be delivered
- reviewing local mosquito control programmes
The staff going are experts in:
- public health incident management
- disease monitoring
- control of disease vectors such as mosquitoes
- public health system development
It’s expected that while in the region they will assist
with supporting health protection work and assessing
damaged facilities to see what further work would need to
be done to protect people both now and in the longer
term.
