Caribbean News
CARPHA Urges Member States to e Vigilant Following WHO Declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern for Mpox
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 16 August 2024. Mpox was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 14 August 2024 by the World Health Organization (WHO) following an upsurge of infections by the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a growing number of countries in Africa.
This is the highest level of global alert recognizing the potential threat this virus poses to countries around the world, and it is the second declaration in two years of a PHEIC relating to mpox. This current outbreak of mpox is caused by clade I, which is more
transmissible and causes more severe illness. Clade II was responsible for an outbreak that WHO declared to be a global health emergency from July 2022 to May 2023.
Presently, no cases of clade 1b mpox have been reported in the Caribbean and its neighbouring countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Latin America. There is also a limited number of travellers and no direct commercial flights from the Democratic Republic of Congo, or its neighbouring countries to the Caribbean.
“CARPHA is monitoring the situation closely. The current risk to Caribbean population from mpox clade 1b is low to moderate, as no cases of mpox have been identified in the CARPHA Member States. However, the identification of the first case of clade 1b outside of Africa, is a warning call for public health authorities to be vigilant and necessitates enhanced surveillance by all Caribbean countries, inclusive of monitoring of incoming passengers, and rapid/early identification of potential cases, and a well-coordinated regional and international response,” states Dr Lisa Indar, Ad Interim Executive Director at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can spread easily between people and from infected animals. It can spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, such as during sex, and through contaminated materials like sheets, and clothing used by an infected person. Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Currently, two mpox vaccines have been approved by the WHO-listed national regulatory authorities and the process has been started for Emergency Use Listing which improves the capacity for vaccine distribution to low-resourced areas and countries.
“Mpox virus testing capacity has been established at the CARPHA Medical Microbiology Laboratory. Additionally, CARPHA is collaborating with regional public health partners to respond to any surge in mpox cases in the Region. Additionally, we are liaising with CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) for Advanced Passenger information for persons arriving from countries that have reported mpox,” said Dr Horace Cox, Acting Director of Surveillance, Disease Control and Prevention at CARPHA.
CARPHA issued a watching brief on mpox to Member States and recommends enhanced vigilance, including the following measures to its Member States: Act quickly and transparently, and report, if any imported cases of mpox are identified; Enhance surveillance systems for rapid identification of imported cases presenting with fever and rash; enhance case investigation for mpox, including alerting port health officials to be vigilant for possible cases; develop and disseminate public education materials on mpox as a re-emerging zoonosis.
Additionally, Member States are encouraged to promote awareness among clinicians, other frontline health workers and public health professionals to be alert to persons presenting with rash without a clear alternative diagnosis, particularly with a travel history from countries that have reported mpox, within two weeks preceding the onset of signs and symptoms are urged to promote comprehensive mpox prevention and control strategies for high-risk populations. CARPHA will provide Member States with guidance to support their national response efforts.
To reduce exposure to and transmission of the virus, persons should maintain basic hand hygiene – wash hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. In addition,
- Stay informed about the risk of mpox
- Be on the alert for any unusual rashes or lesions on the genitals or other parts of the body
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick with signs and symptoms of mpox, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions.
- Avoid contact with wild animals (alive or dead) in areas where mpox regularly occurs.
- Avoid contact with contaminated materials used by people who are sick (such as clothing, bedding, or materials used in healthcare settings).
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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