Caribbean News
CARPHA encourages Member States to Reinforce Measures to Reduce the spread of Dengue and other Mosquito Borne Diseases
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 24 November 2023. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has noted the continued increase, over the past six months, in reports of suspected and confirmed cases of Dengue in the Caribbean region, especially in CARPHA Member States that have seen increased rainfall. The associated risks and ripple effects must not be underestimated as outbreaks of Dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases like Zika and Chikungunya pose a significant threat to health, tourism, as well as social and economic development.
“Regional Health Security remains at the fore of CARPHA’s focus. In this regard, any public health threat, such as Dengue, that imperils the integrity of our regional response systems must be dealt with in a timely and effective manner and as such demands, that as the Caribbean community, we mobilize efforts to maximise efficiencies. Member States are encouraged to remain vigilant and flexible with their national work plans and available resources to maximise chances of successful responses. In 2023, four CARPHA Member States have reported Dengue outbreaks and trends are being monitored in others with subsets of all four Dengue serotypes circulating across the region,” stated Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director at CARPHA
Dengue is known to cause outbreaks every three to five years. In the recent past, the seasonality of Dengue transmission in the Americas and the Caribbean has added to the record highs of total case numbers and complications. While 2019 was distinct for being the year with the highest number of reported Dengue cases in the Americas, it is very likely that 2023 will surpass that historic high. In 2023, up to epi-week 40, the Caribbean has noted a 15 percent increase in confirmed Dengue cases in CMS compared to a similar period in 2022.
Dr Horace Cox, Assistant Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control, and Head Vector Borne Diseases at CARPHA stated that: “The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads the virus, is present in all Caribbean territories. Vulnerable populations in small island developing states, like the Caribbean, and continental states with low lying coastal regions, need to be better prepared and resilient in addressing the prevention and control of Dengue and other arboviral diseases”.
“Around our homes and communities, we need to ensure our surroundings are clean and free of materials or containers that can accumulate water. We often overlook plant pot bases, vases, buckets and used vehicle tyres. These are typical breeding sites and should be checked frequently. Water storage drums and tanks must be properly covered and inspected periodically to ensure that there is no breeding. Roof gutters should also be cleaned. Wire-mesh/screens on doors and windows also help in reducing the entry of mosquitoes into homes,” stated Mr. Rajesh Ragoo, Senior Technical Officer for Vector-Borne Diseases at CARPHA.
The mosquitoes that spread Dengue are active during the day. Personal preventative measures to minimise mosquito bites are also extremely important. Vulnerable groups such as infants, young children, older adults, and women who are pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, must be extra cautious. Long-sleeved clothing and repellents containing DEET, IR3535 or lemon eucalyptus, should be used to protect exposed skin or clothing, and must be used in accordance with the instructions on the product label. Confirmed cases should rest under mosquito nets.
To counter the increase in mosquitoes and potential disease transmission, greater effort should be placed on mosquito control activities in communities, and these should be intensified. CARPHA urges its Member States to review their preparedness and response plans, as well as to continue surveillance, early diagnosis, and timely care of dengue and other arbovirus cases, to prevent severe cases and deaths associated with these diseases. CARPHA Member States (CMS) are encouraged to use available data, tools, and technologies to improve forecasting capacities, including the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
CMS should also prioritise proper clinical management of suspected dengue cases by strengthening detection and management capacities at the primary health care level, thus preventing the progression of the disease to its severe forms.
CARPHA remains committed to supporting CMS in their vector control efforts, including capacity building in integrated vector control strategies. CMS must continue to strengthen prevention and control measures such as surveillance, diagnosis, as well as timely and adequate treatment of cases, while ensuring that health care services are prepared to facilitate access and proper management of patients with these diseases.
CARPHA has launched a social media campaign to raise awareness and promote effective prevention and control measures for Dengue, a recurring threat to public health in the Caribbean region. The campaign is a “whole of society” call to the public, healthcare practitioners and vector control officers, about their roles in this effort, and the critical need for proactive measures to reduce the spread of Dengue.
More information about Dengue and other mosquito borne diseases here:
- Facebook at carpha1
- Mission Mosquito: https://missionmosquito.carpha.org/
- Caribbean Mosquito Awareness: http://caribbeanmosquitoweek.carpha.org/
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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