BHS undergoes additional Testing as CARPHA Visits

ZIZ News — A two-member team from the Caribbean Public Health Agency [CARPHA] is currently in St. Kitts facilitating tests at the Basseterre High School, a school which has had its health safety questioned in recent months.

ZIZ News caught up with CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr. Babatunde Olowkure who explained the reason for the visit.

“We are here to have an inspection of the school to do an environmental assessment and then also to take some samples which we would then send away for further testing. We were contacted by the Minister of Health who requested the presence of CARPHA to investigate what has been happening in the school,” he explained.

Dr. Olowokure then explained the process when the CARPHA team departs St. Kitts.

“At the end of that period of time, we would be making a draft report and providing further information and some recommendations to the Ministry of Health. We have scheduled two weeks for our final report to be supplied to the Ministry of Health.”

CARPHA, which was recently created, was formed from five regional institutes including the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre [CAREC]. CARPHA is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and it seeks to oversee the health population in the Caribbean.