Health Minister Lauds Workshop on Influenza Pandemic
January 22, 2009The Full Story
Minister of Health and Environment, Rudyard Spencer has said that a holistic approach should be taken to combat the effects of an influenza pandemic, should one occur.
This approach, he noted, is of critical importance and will ensure that “we never lose sight of the possible impact of an influenza pandemic on a wider economy and on national security,” he said in a message read by Director of Health Promotion and Protection in the Ministry of Health and Environment, Dr. Eva Lewis Fuller, at the opening ceremony for an influenza pandemic workshop at the University of the West Indies, Mona, yesterday (Jan. 20).
Minister Spencer commended the organisers of the workshop “for the work that is being done to advance the global development agenda, global defence and to achieve human security for people everywhere,” adding that it is through partnership and meaningful collaboration that regional capacity has been systematically strengthened.
He noted that the workshop will allow for the strengthening of the health systems, surveillance and communication across the Caribbean region.
The workshop will include: sessions to discuss prevention measures during an influenza pandemic; impacts on critical infrastructure and maintaining fuel and food resources to ensure trade continues, as well as sustainable health care facilities and economic recovery plans following a pandemic.