NEWS
NOVEL HEALTH PROPOSAL TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE
S tatistics from the Barbados Meteorological Services show that temperatures soared to 35 degrees Celsius in July last year and continued to the later months of the year. Similar patterns were also recorded in other parts of the world, and in January 2024, the World Meteorological Organization declared 2023 the hottest year on record to date. Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) , Dr. Joy St John noted that the One Health approach would comprise all sectors, including the vital tourism and agriculture sectors. “One Health in the Caribbean Public Health Agency means that we don’t just talk to other sectors, we plan with other sectors. So even with our planning for the Cricket World Cup, we’re trying to bring all the sectors together to see what could be the challenges, what could be the threats; and make sure that we are planning for anything that could happen, any outbreak,” St John said.
The heatwave that swept the globe in 2023 has prompted a team of public health professionals to propose a One Health approach to address the impact of climate change on the population in the Caribbean. That proposal was put forward during a panel discussion hosted by the Faculty of Medical Sciences last September, under the theme Climate, Population & Planetary Health – A Hot Topic at 60?
Dr. Joy St. John Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)
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