Preparedness and Response Plan for Chikungunya Virus Introduction in the Caribbean sub-region

Abstract

[From the Introduction]. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), with the support of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DVBD, CDC), supported the first Caribbean Sub-regional training workshop for Preparedness and Response for Chikungunya Virus Introduction in the Americas in the context of dengue. With participants from 22 countries, including clinicians, vector control teams and laboratory technicians, the objective of the meeting was to train public health staff from the Caribbean countries on the detection, diagnosis, clinical management, and prevention of Chikungunya (CHIK) and dengue (DEN) viruses’ infections. The objective of the meeting was to raise the capacity of Caribbean countries’ health systems for the timely identification of CHIK outbreaks in the context of other epidemic prone diseases, such as dengue. Experts from France, USA, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and El Salvador gave training in clinical management of CHIK cases, laboratory diagnostic, risk communication and vector control. As one of the products of the meeting, the participants elaborated a draft preparedness, control, and response plan for CHIK outbreaks in the Caribbean sub-region, focused in 3 main components clinical management and epidemiology, laboratory diagnostic and vector control.