Basseterre, St. Kitts, 25th August 2023 (ZIZ Newsroom): The Ministry of Health has announced the appointment of Dr. Daveen Wilkin as the new Medical Chief of Staff for Institutional-Based Health Services effective Monday, 28th August.
Dr. Wilkin will oversee medical operations and lead the medical team with the aim of ensuring the highest standards of healthcare delivery across the organization.
Dr. Wilkin told ZIZ News in her new position her primary focus will be the staff of the health institutions.
“This position gives me the opportunity to focus on improving staff morale while working with the executive to enhance training programs as well as to contribute towards the organization’s drive towards accreditation,” she said. “Quality health care is extremely important and begins with a skilled and motivated staff. It is my aim to cultivate an environment where our staff feels valued and equipped to provide exceptional care.”
Dr. Daveen Wilkin is a licensed medical specialist, having graduated from the Carlos Finley University of Medical Sciences in Camaguey, Cuba, with a specialization in Anesthesiology, Reanimation, and Pain Management.
In addition to her medical degree, Dr. Wilkin holds a Master’s in Health Administration, focusing on hospital management, from Walden University in Maryland, USA.
The Administration of Institutional-Based Health Services and the entire Ministry of Health has extended heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Wilkin as she steps into this new leadership role.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 04, 2021) —
Ms. Latoya Jeffers, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Health, speaking on behalf of Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health, underscored the critical role the nurses play in health care on Nevis.
“Community Health Nursing is a very vital component of Public Health as it aids with prolonging life. It is essential because there is ease of access to the population to educate them about healthy living, detect health issues early and provide treatment to prevent health problems. One of the essential roles of Community Health Nursing is to institute health programmes to educate the public on health matters…
“The nurses continue to do a commendable job and we at the administrative level will do our part to ensure that the health centres are well equipped with the necessary resources, human and otherwise, to deal with the demands of our population. I pledge to continue to working along with all you so that community health nursing keeps providing the best care possible to the public,” she said.
Ms. Jeffers added that each year the health centres hold educational workshops, hand out fliers, conduct health screenings, dispense medication and administer immunizations in an effort to provide proper health care in all communities.
Dr. Judy Nisbett, Medical Officer of Health, reminded the nurses of their importance to the community.
“As Public Health nurses/Community Health nurses, you are critical. You must never take your role for granted. Public health nursing came about when there was much disease, many of which were preventable, and life expectancy was low. Children were dying. Adults were dying.
“So public health nursing focused and still focuses on prevention of illness, injury or disability, the promotion of health, and maintenance of the health of populations so your role as I said is critical,” she said.
The senior health officer also thanked the nurses for their contribution to the delivery of health care on Nevis.
“I want to reiterate that you are important, [an] important part of our health system. You are valued, and very much appreciated as you take care of your clients from the ‘womb to the tomb.’ You assist the Ministry of Health in providing health care that is accessible, available and affordable. Thank you for your contribution,” she said.
Commenting on the reporting exercise, Dr. Nisbett pointed out that the exercise afforded nurses the opportunity to reflect, evaluate, chart new paths, implement new ideas and improve on areas they deem necessary.
The Medical Officer of Health expressed hope that the nurses did not look at compiling their reports as a chore but as an opportunity to truthfully evaluate the services they have provided over the past year and even over the past five- to 10-year trends.
“Every time we have this exercise it must be with the aim in mind to find our gaps, do a [Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats] SWOT analysis as it were, identifying our strengths, our weakness and also our opportunities for more successful programming and the threats that can derail our programmes,” she said.
At the April 30th event, community health district reports were made by representatives of the Combermere, Cotton ground, Gingerland, Charlestown, Brown Hill and Butlers health centres, as well as the Mental Health Unit.
Other remarks were made by Ms. Shelisa Martin-Clarke, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, and Ms. Ermine Jeffers, Coordinator of Community Nursing Services who chaired the event.
Among those present were Hon. Mark Brantley, Minister of Health; Mrs. Eren Hanley, Health Planner; and Dr. Retna Walwyn- Browne.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 22, 2021 (SKNIS): With the growing concern over the increase in the use, misuse, and abuse of cannabis (marijuana) among youth in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Kitts & Nevis National Council on Drug Abuse Prevention Secretariat held a training session for education counsellors on Monday 19th April 2021, at the Jessups Community Center in Nevis.
Mrs. Karimu Byron-Caines, Director of St. Kitts & Nevis National Council on Drug Abuse Prevention Secretariat, an agency that falls under the Ministry of National Security, said that part of the responsibility of the Secretariat “is to ensure that effective prevention, treatment, and other intervention programmes through education and training are made available to the persons we serve in this Federation.”
“We have had many calls, numerous calls, especially lately, of persons expressing concerns of the increase in marijuana use, misuse and abuse amongst our adolescents in the Federation, and as such we have had official overseas training through the Organization of American States (OAS) where Miss Zahra Jacobs, your trainer for today travelled to Mexico to undertake this training in Cannabis Youth Treatment Series One.”
Mrs. Byron-Caines said that the manual and training are “designed to help train substance abuse treatment counsellors and other counsellors to conduct a brief five-session treatment intervention for adolescents with cannabis use disorders presenting for outpatient treatment. It combines two sessions of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) and three sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in a group format.”
“We all know, and we are aware of the effects of marijuana, especially in our youths. We have heard it especially in our schools where the students are sometimes coming to school high, causing some behavioural problems. We are seeing challenges with the academic performance and so we are pleased to be offering you the front-line counsellors hands-on material for an effective programme. It’s going to take you effort; it’s going to take you dedication; it’s going to take some planning, but the National Council on Drug Abuse Prevention is here to support you, to assist you in any way,” Mrs. Byron-Caines said.
Ms. Zahnela Claxton, Principal Education Officer (PEO) in the Department of Education on Nevis, said that the training will prove beneficial.
“This training will no doubt provide our counsellors with additional tools, which they will surely find useful. In an age where edibles and smoking are the norms of our young people, it is imperative that we provide the necessary support for them,” Ms. Claxton said.
Ms. Sandra Maynard, Director of Social Services in the Ministry of Social Development in the Nevis Island Administration, welcomed the training and said that with the increased cannabis use in high schools, it is important to reach out especially to you At-Risk-Youth and youth offenders.
“In January of 2020, I attended the unveiling of the CFYR (Communities, Families and Youth Resilience) Project Baseline online study of communities in our Federation and paid special attention to results of young persons’ involvement in delinquent activity. Of those surveyed in the 10 to 29 age group in St. Kitts and Nevis, youth in their controlled communities were using marijuana or other illegal drugs at a rate of 47.8 percent,” said Ms. Maynard.
She added: “The controlled communities if I understand correctly, were those identified by the project as the high-risk communities across the Federation. Those youth not in controlled or high-risk territories admitting to using marijuana and other drugs was reported as being 23.7 percent. To be fair to the efforts of my CFYR colleagues, there was some reported reduction of controlled substances by the end of the project, but that number reported 30.5 percent, but 30.5 percent is still one that gives cause for serious concern, and more importantly, a call to action.”
Ms. Maynard added that the COVID-19 pandemic has had mental health effects on children and youth and some perhaps have turned to drugs to help them to cope.
Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 22, 2021 (SKNIS): Plastics are harmful to the environment as they are non-biodegradable and take years to break down, thus contaminating soil and water in the process, said Biosafety Officer in the Ministry of Environment, Vicia Woods.
“They are a danger to human health and the environment because when these plastics… are improperly disposed of and because they don’t break down immediately, they break apart into smaller pieces known as micro-plastics. When these micro-plastics make their way into the ocean, into the lakes, they become a part of our food chain,” said Ms. Woods during her April 21 appearance on ‘Working for You’. “Because the marine life consumes these tiny pieces of plastics, when we eat these marine species we, in turn, consume not only the species but also the toxins that they hold.”
Ms. Woods said that hazardous chemicals can be found in single-use plastic food wrappings and containers which have direct contact with the food humans consume and that these chemicals may be introduced into the body.
“Plastics also have been found in the blood tissues of human beings because the toxins leach out into the system of humans and they become a part of us. These plastics in our systems have been linked to various ailments,” she said, while referencing styrene, an organic compound used to make Styrofoam. “It has been labelled as a possible carcinogen… and what that simply means is that it is a cancer-causing material, and because we use Styrofoam so often in our daily lives, each time we buy food, we take them in the Styrofoam containers. As these containers heat up, they release toxins so we consume them as well,” Ms. Woods added.
She noted that because of the harmful effects plastics have on the environment and human health, the ban on single-use plastics becomes even more necessary. Ms. Woods added that banning single-use plastics will reduce marine and land-based plastic pollution, as well as reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 20th 2021 (ZIZ News) Knowing the status of one’s sexual life and that of your partner’s is important.
That was expressed by Dr. Jasmin Hanley, Managing Director at Quality Diagnostic Laboratory during a recent interview, as April is being observed as Sexually Transmitted Diseases month.
She said due to medicinal and technological advances, many diseases can be detected in a short space of time.
Hanley encouraged persons to get regular checkups and to not become complacent.
Hanley also urged women to get annual pap smears done to reduce incidents of Cervical cancer, which is caused by the Humpan Papilloma Virus (HPV).
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 16th 2021 (ZIZ News) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws says the Tourism Sector has her support and that of the National Covid 19 Taskforce as it relates to the reopening of the country in October and the return of cruise ships in June.
Dr. Laws was responding to a question posed at the Tourism Stakeholders meeting at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel of Wednesday.
At the meeting Minister of Tourism Hon. Lindsay Grant announced the return of cruise ships in a phased approach in in June of this year.
In outlining the requirements for entry he said “ All crew and passengers over the age of 18 years must be vaccinated; children under 18 must present a negative RT PCR test within 72 hours prior to home port disembarkation and negative RT PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to home port departure for all on board guests and crew. All travel approved tours and attractions employees and agents interfacing with the vessels and engaging in tours must be vaccinated.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 16th 2021 (ZIZ News) The Government has further extended a previous travel advisory Applying to travellers from Brazil, the United Kingdom (UK) and South Africa.
Persons intending to travel from these aforementioned destinations are once again advised not to travel to St. Kitts and Nevis at this time.
The advisory which was originally issued on February 7, 2021 has been further extended for an additional 30 days, effective April 8, 2021.
The decision comes amid three new variants of Covid-19 – from Brazil, South Africa and the UK – being identified in a number of CARICOM territories since February.
According to a statement, these variants continue to be cause for concern for the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, particularly as this UK mutation of the original virus is deemed to be far more transmissible and has a higher likelihood of death from the symptoms of Covid-19.
The statement advises that persons intending to travel from these aforementioned destinations must be approved by the Ministry of National Security, following the process stipulated on the online platform www.knatravelform.kn.
Citizens and legal residents returning from any of the aforementioned countries will not be denied reentry into the Country, but must also process their travel requests through the online platform www.knatravelform.kn.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (April 19, 2021) — The Ministry of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) launched its Nevis Garden Competition on April 16, 2021, at the Nevisian Heritage Village in Gingerland, as part of activities for Exposition Nevis 2021, an annual tourism awareness campaign with the theme “Fostering Domestic Tourism.”
Mr. John Hanley, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism who officially launched the contest, noted that the competition was being held in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, adding that gardens are important for the island’s tourism and food security thrust.
“Our gardens form an important part of Nevis’ tourism product. Gardens adorn our homes, our villas, hotels, restaurants and businesses; provide us with aromatic teas and medicinal plants; and our back yard gardens are a critical component of our thrust towards food security. For this reason, we have included the garden competition as part of our 2021 Exposition Nevis calendar of activities,” he said.
Mr. Hanley urged persons to enter the contest to assist with the island’s beautification and the NIA’s food security agenda.
“I urge all gardening enthusiasts on the island of Nevis to participate so that you could position yourselves not only to beautify your surroundings but also improve our island’s food security agenda, and at the same time win some very attractive prizes which have been made possible by our very kind cooperate sponsors,” he said.
The permanent secretary acknowledged that the launch of the contest was being held at one of the best landscaped tourism sites managed by the Ministry of Tourism.
He said that it had been gaining traction in recent months as a mecca for weddings, celebration of birthdays, anniversaries, and other family milestones; and thanked all those responsible for the upkeep of the Nevisian Heritage Village.
Mr. Hanley also used the opportunity to thank Ms. Vanessa Webbe, Tourism Education Officer, and the Community Tourism team leader for the hard work they did in organising the contest.
He also thanked the Department and Ministry of Agriculture for the guidance extended to the Ministry of Tourism and their assistance with the logistics required to plan and execute the competition.
Mr. Huey Sargeant, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture stated that they were pleased to partner with the Ministry of Tourism. He announced measures the Department of Agriculture plans to put in place for persons wishing to participate in the contest.
“We are offering during the month of May some specials from our shade house or green house and our Propagation Unit at Prosect for persons who are interested in participating in this competition, that they can have their seedlings or plants at special rates from the Department of Agriculture,” he said.
The contest has two segments – one for food-bearing plants and florals. The Agriculture Permanent Secretary spoke of the benefits of gardening.
“When you garden you ensure food security and we encourage that. We also recognise that the floral aspect is part of our health as well because that emotional part of our being…they are quite important overall.
“So we have health on the physical side when we do food security and we have health on the emotional side because obviously, we want to have that mental health…I must also talk about physical aspects of gardening. You do get a lot of exercise when you tend to your gardens on a regular basis, so we have an overall holistic development and, in that vein, I encourage as many persons to participate and register to take part in this competition,” he said.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 15, 2021 (SKNIS): As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to protect the health of citizens and residents and resuscitate the tourism-based economy, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, continues to advise the general public to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Prime Minister Harris made another pitch to the general public to get vaccinated during the virtual forum series ‘Leadership Matters’ on April 13.
“Our economy is driven, in a significant part, by tourism. Last year, we saw the serious impact that arises from having no tourists—our hotels closed, persons lost their jobs, our Severance Fund has unprecedented claims and the Federal Government has to supplement the Fund,” he said.“As part of our plan to protect your jobs and to protect our economy, we must ensure that our country is as ready as we can to welcome tourists.”
He added: “The more people who are vaccinated, the safer persons feel about travelling, studying, and investing in our country. It was our safety which brought MSR Productions here and with it, we will benefit from six movies. It is our safety that brought back 650 Ross University students.”
He said that it was imperative that adults 18 years and older get vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity so that the Federation’s economy can fully open up.
“It means more jobs can be created and more opportunities will arise, especially for our young people,” said Prime Minister Harris.
He said that nothing can be more concerning than having no jobs and putting oneself at risk for contracting COVID-19, saying that some persons are “playing political games, putting their own needs ahead of your health.”
]]>The dialogue among the senior officials was co-chaired by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, Ms. Kaye Bass and Director General, Central America and the Caribbean, Global Affairs, Canada, Ms. Sylvia Cesaratto,
In presenting opening remarks, Permanent Secretary Bass thanked the government of Canada for its unwavering commitment and assistance throughout the years and in particular, the recent assistance being rendered to the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to assist in the fight against COVID19. The Permanent Secretary further underscored the importance of the historical relationship between the countries, while recognising that in these times of uncertainty, “we have a unique opportunity to jointly re-evaluate, recalibrate and re-imagine our cooperation and launch a roadmap for this new dispensation.” The COVID 19 pandemic has brought about a new era that has “forced developed and developing countries alike to come together to consider and design new paradigms for development” if we are to wholly subscribe to the many facets of the building back better agenda.
The discussion and views exchanged over the course of the consultation centered on shared priorities and explored investment and business opportunities for both countries through focused dialogue in the areas of economic recovery, trade, climate change, resilience and sustainability. Proposals for enhanced bilateral and multilateral collaboration inter alia in health, renewable energy, education, financing, agriculture, sustainable tourism, capacity building and continued advocacy for Saint Kitts and Nevis and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in global fora were also ventilated.
Ministries and government agencies including, International Trade, Agriculture, Environment, Finance, Tourism, the Saint Kitts Tourism Authority, and St. Kitts Investment Promotion Agency and Nevis Investment Promotion Agency shared presentations. From the Canadian side, the agencies presented included Immigration Refugee and Citizenship, Public Health, Clean Technology, Climate Change and the High Commission of Canada in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The afternoon’s virtual event was closed with a commitment to explore and develop a roadmap for cooperation that would not only define but also chart a concrete course for tangible fruits of meaningful cooperation in the future.
St Kitts and Nevis High Commission in Ottawa also participated in the meeting.
]]>I extend warm Nevisian greetings to my fellow Nevisians and visitors alike.
The Ministry of Tourism, Nevis begins its annual month of tourism awareness activities, which we call Exposition Nevis. Our month of activities is scheduled to run from April 18th – May 31st, 2021.
The purpose of Exposition Nevis is to sensitize the general public about the role and purpose of the Ministry of Tourism and by extension, the critical impact that the tourism industry has on the economy of Nevis.
Even as we celebrate the 5th annual edition of Exposition Nevis, we do so against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has infected over 138 million persons and caused almost 3 million deaths worldwide.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism arrivals saw a significant decline of 74 percent during 2020, setting us back more than 30 years in terms of the global levels of visitor arrivals. As a consequence, many destinations have had no recourse but to resort to domestic tourism as a lifeline for their struggling tourism economies.
Local tourism enterprises and home-grown tourism experiences that have hitherto been largely under-utilized have now become the bread and butter of our struggling economy. It is in this context that the Ministry of Tourism has selected the theme ‘Fostering Domestic Tourism’ as the focus of its 2021 Exposition Nevis celebrations.
The calendar of events for Exposition Nevis 2021 encompasses a wide variety of experiences intended to encourage locals and visitors alike to learn about, appreciate and engage in the magnificent tourism product offerings here on island, including excursions, festivals, heritage experiences and culinary engagements.
Exposition Nevis seeks to actively encourage support among the local populace for local tourism businesses and is intended to promote entrepreneurship and capacity building in the face of one of the most significant crises to face our tourism industry in decades.
Two local businesses, Nevis Equestrian Centre and Hills and Valleys Tours have consented to offer reduced prices for locals wishing to experience their tours. Several of our fine Nevis hotels are also currently offering special staycation rates for locals to enjoy a premium vacation right here on island, as many Nevisians are unable to travel overseas to their usual vacation spots.
To engage our children, our calendar of events includes a call-in tourism quiz on VON Radio, as well as an essay competition based on our domestic tourism theme, for our primary and secondary school students.
For the general public there will be the launch of the 2021 Nevis Garden Competition and our annual open day at the Nevisian Heritage Village featuring our hallmark baking of bread in the traditional oven and cultural food demonstrations. We will be hosting the first ever night market at the Artisan Village as well as a virtual Nevis Experiences culinary tour among other things.
As per usual the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the relevant ministries and departments, will continue to lend its support to the Jessups Seafood Fiesta and the New River Farmers Association Open Day, two events which have gained recognition over time as fine exemplars of community-based tourism.
A two-day entrepreneurship workshop will be hosted for small and medium tourism enterprises, in our bid to develop the capacity and local resilience, which are so necessary in this COVID era. Our health is vital during this pandemic and there is also huge potential in the health tourism business. As such, we will also collaborate with the Health Promotion Unit to host a ‘soco-cize’ session at the Artisan Village as well as an exercise activity on the Pinneys Beach.
In addition, during our month of activities, we will also recognize Earth Day by planting trees at Pinneys Park which will shortly become a vital asset in our domestic tourism inventory.
I must, at this junction, commend the hardworking staff at the Ministry of Tourism for their creativity and ingenuity in putting together this calendar of events. We urge every resident of Nevis to engage in and lend robust support to our local tourism enterprises and activities.
Projections are that it could take at least two years for the tourism industry to return to pre-COVID levels. Until then, it is imperative that we fully embrace and promote the development of domestic tourism and take advantage of the vast potential of our own local market on both sides of the channel, especially right here on Nevis. Domestic tourism is indeed the lifeline for our economic survival in the face of unprecedented challenges.
It would be remiss of me to pass up the opportunity for me to encourage all and singular to avail themselves of the opportunity to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus to ensure that we are in a position to fully open our borders and return our tourism industry to a semblance of normalcy in the shortest possible time.
It gives me great pleasure as Premier and Minister responsible for Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration to declare officially open Exposition Nevis 2021. Thank you and may Jehovah guide and bless us all.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 14th 2021 (ZIZ News) Cruise ships will return to St. Kitts in a phased approach in June.
The announcement was made by Minister of Tourism Hon. Lindsay Grant at a Tourism stakeholders meeting on Wednesday where he said the Ministry has been in discussion with the Ministry of Health and the Tourism Authority.
He said vaccinated tours and attractions are the pathway to full recovery, noting that cruise passengers and persons interacting with them will have to be vaccinated as part of the phased approach.
“The phased approach is going to be that any cruise line that comes to St. Kitts and Nevis, all the crew will have to be vaccinated and all the passengers likewise will have to be vaccinated. Now what does that mean? Obviously it means that likewise, we are going to have to be vaccinated and so the policy going forward for us will be that any purveyors of the industry will have to be vaccinated.”
The Tourism Minister said all requests for cruise ships must come through the St. Kitts Tourism Authority during this phase, and outlined the requirements.
“All crew and passengers over the age of 18 years must be vaccinated; children under 18 must present a negative RT PCR test within 72 hours prior to home port disembarkation and negative RT PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to home port departure for all on board guests and crew. All travel approved tours and attractions, employees and agents interfacing and interacting with the vessels and engaging in tours must be vaccinated.”
Minister Grant noted that while it is necessary to reach 100% immunity in the tourism sector, vaccination is not mandatory.
“We are not making vaccination mandatory, so let me put it quite clearly so that we don’t have any miscommunication in the message,” he said. “We are not saying that the vaccination is mandatory. We are saying to you as a policy, we are asking the employers to make sure employers are vaccinated and that every single employee who will come into contact with the passengers and the crew are likewise vaccinated.”
He said staff who do not take the vaccine will be required to take an RT PCR Test at their own cost every two weeks.
Tour operators on island will be required to agree to random testing or testing requirements decided by the Chief Medical Officer at the employer’s or employee’s expense.
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As part of a humanitarian package, St. Kitts and Nevis government has offered to receive 300 hundred persons who were displaced as a result of the volcanic eruption in the neighbouring Caribbean nation also known as the Gem of the Antilles.
Abdias Samuel, National Disaster Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said that accommodation commitments have already been made. Koi Resort St. Kitts has made available 70 rooms that can accommodate two to three persons while the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, as well as the Sugar Bay Club has identified 30 rooms each. That brings the total available rooms to 130 in St. Kitts. A hotel in Nevis has also committed 30 rooms to the humanitarian assistance programme.
“We are also advocating for citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis as well as Vincentians who are here … to accept persons from St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Mr. Samuel said on the April 13, 2021 edition of Leadership Matters: A Virtual Forum Series.
Interested persons can register at NEMA located at Lime Kiln Commercial Development or the Nevis Disaster Management Department at Long Point.
Mr. Samuel added that a multi-agency public and private sector committee is being established to manage the process. It will be led by officials from the Department of Social Development and include representatives from the Ministries of FHinance; Foreign Affairs; Education, and Health, as well as the Department of Labour, and St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Representatives from the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nevis Disaster Management Department will also serve on the committee.
The La Soufrière volcano erupted on April 09, 2021. Further eruptions have taken place as it remains very active.
In addition to welcoming 300 displaced persons, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has pledged financial assistance in the sum of EC $1 million to assist with the evacuation and resettling of citizens and residents from the danger zone; has agreed to provide human resources through the Regional Security System (RSS) recruited from St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force and the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force to support humanitarian, technical and peace-keeping efforts on the ground in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; and contributed US $20,000 towards the Special Emergency Assistance Fund of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in order to bring immediate relief to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and support its logistical operations.
Like St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
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Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 13 April 2021 The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is providing technical assistance in response to volcanic eruptions of La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. CARPHA is part of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), which is spearheaded by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
On 29th December 2020, the alert level for La Soufrière was elevated to Orange due to increased activity at the site, which is located in the northern part of the main island of St. Vincent. Effusive activity continued, until 8th April 2021, when the UWI Seismic Research Centre team based in St. Vincent indicated new seismic events were occurring that are typical with explosive eruptions. The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines raised the alert level to Red and ordered an evacuation of the Red volcanic hazard zone. More than 4,000 persons were evacuated to other parts of the island. Explosive eruptions commenced at 8:42 am on April 9th, 2021 and have continued to the present day with an expansive ash plume and pyroclastic flows being reported. Ashfall has affected not only St. Vincent but the neighbouring islands of Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada.
Health effects after a volcanic eruption include respiratory problems, eye problems, and skin irritation due to gases and ash released into the atmosphere. Watercourses and reservoirs may become contaminated leading to a reduction in safe, drinking water supplies.
“CARPHA leads the public health component of the RRT. We will provide technical advice and support to the Ministry of Health officials in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We also stand ready to support neighbouring Member States that are being impacted by the ash, and those who have offered a home away from home to evacuees,” stated Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director of CARPHA.
Recently CARPHA developed a COVID-19 Protocol During Evacuation which has been approved for use by the 27th Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD). CARPHA has also developed:
These documents can be found at https://www.carpha.org/
In accordance with the Inter-Governmental Agreement, CARPHA, as the sole public health agency for the Caribbean region, is mandated to respond to emergencies including hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, and other natural disasters. CARPHA will continue to work with CDEMA and other agencies to assess the need for further support.
The risk of increased cases of COVID-19 during this time, through evacuation and gathering in emergency shelters, is significant. Every effort must be made to protect persons living in the emergency shelters, including appropriate social distancing and hygiene measures, testing of symptomatic individuals, isolation of COVID-19 positive individuals and quarantine of contacts in isolation shelters. Member States are also being urged to continue their vaccination rollout to aid in limiting spread where feasible.
CARPHA expresses deep concern and sympathy for the residents of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and nearby countries affected by La Soufriere. We urge Caribbean residents and visitors to take continued precautions and follow the advice of the authorities.
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