Surveillance and response to avian and pandemic influenza and other infectious disease threats in the caribbean region - annual epidemics and the potential of spreading infectious diseases between…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a cooperative agreement totaling $150,000 to the Caribbean Public Health Agency on September 30, 2026, under the Protecting and Improving Health Globally: Building and Strengthening Public Health Impact, Systems, Capacity and Security program (CFDA 93.318).

The funding supports surveillance and response capacity for avian and pandemic influenza and other infectious disease threats across the Caribbean region. The recipient will sustain and improve routine and outbreak-related respiratory disease surveillance systems to monitor, detect, respond to, and mitigate pathogen transmission within the Caribbean, including strengthening laboratory capacity, early warning systems, and rapid response mechanisms across the 26 Caribbean Public Health Agency member states. The work addresses regional vulnerability to seasonal, zoonotic, and pandemic influenza viruses driven by high regional and international travel, tourism-dependent economies, and porous borders among member states.

Work is performed in Trinidad and Tobago. The period of performance runs from September 30, 2026, through September 30, 2031. The award is classified as a cooperative agreement with an initial 12-month budget period; continuation beyond the first year is subject to satisfactory progress and availability of funds.

Surveillance and response to avian and pandemic influenza and other infectious disease threats in the caribbean region - annual epidemics and the potential of spreading infectious diseases between countries are major regional global health threats. The transboundary spread of infectious diseases leading to outbreaks epidemics and pandemics is a priority threat to regional and global health security as exemplified by COVID19 and other threats. Specifically influenza results in the death of an estimated 500 000 people globally each year IT is estimated that seasonal influenza results annually in approximately 500 000 to 700 000 cases and 900 to 1 200 deaths across the 26 carpha member states. The timing and severity of influenza epidemics are difficult to predict. But these epidemics recur annually and can and do have serious global health and economic consequences. Strong reliable and routine influenza surveillance systems are essential and enable US to identify influenza viruses quickly respond to outbreaks mitigate the effects of pandemics and detect novel influenza viruses that may signal the start of a pandemic. Recent global events including highly pathogenic avian influenza hpai H5N1 seasonal influenza outbreaks COVID19 and other respiratory disease outbreaks continue to highlight the need for strengthened respiratory virus surveillance laboratory capacity early warning systems and rapid response mechanisms across the region. The caribbean region remains vulnerable and are increased risk to the emergence and spread of seasonal zoonotic and pandemic influenza viruses across borders due to high regional and international travel tourism dependent economies highly interconnected porous borders and varying levels of laboratory surveillance capacity among carpha member states.to sustain and improve routine and outbreak related respiratory disease surveillance systems to effectively monitor detect respond to and mitigate pathogen transmission within the caribbean in a timely rapid manner carpha will address the strategies of the six components outlined by CDC. Carpha as the sole regional public health agency in the caribbean has the mandate for surveillance capacity building and emergency & response within the caribbean. In keeping with this mandate carpha has developed regional health security pathway and priorities and a package of novel caribbean tailored tools and interventions for real time early warning and response to public health threats like avian and pandemic influenza and other infectious disease threats pandemics to safeguard the region. This novel regional integrated early warning surveillance system riewss will be implemented for influenza surveillance and response in this project. The riewss will transform regional and national capacities for the surveillance and response to avian and pandemic influenza and other infectious diseases threats in the caribbean region. The agency is well positioned to be the mechanism through which the goals of this project are implemented. Specifically this project through close monitoring and evaluation would achieve inter alia strengthened integrated routine surveillance for avian and pandemic influenza and other infectious diseases threats strengthened surveillance and laboratory systems for preparedness early warning and response to avian and pandemic influenza and other infectious diseases outbreaks establishment of routine monitoring of sentinel surveillance system indicators well prepared laboratory to provide timely and quality diagnostic support for detecting zoonotic influenza viruses surveillance data systems can export and import data using modern data transfer protocols sustained analysis and reporting of surveillance data for national and international situational awareness and monitoring improved readiness for responding to influenza and other public health threats.