The Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organisation have issued a donor alert to raise US$ 14.2 million estimated to support urgent health priorities for the first six months of the response in Jamaica to Hurricane Melissa.
00:00The Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization, PAHO and the WHO, have issued a donor loot to mobilize critical resources for the health response following Hurricane Melissa, which has left a trail of destruction across Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
00:19PAHO and the WHO said to respond effectively over the next six months in Jamaica, in particular, they are seeking U.S. $14.1 million in donor support, with the largest portion, U.S. $10.2 million, earmarked to support the continuity of essential care delivery, including critical mental health support, and restore the capacity of damaged health services.
00:44PAHO and the WHO noted that the hurricane claimed more than 50 lives and displaced over 1 million people across the Caribbean, with Jamaica having been hit particularly hard, with 2.8 million people exposed to destructive winds and flooding.
01:00In an update to Jamaica's House of Representatives on Tuesday, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Allness said early preparedness allowed the Jamaican health sector to move quickly into its emergency response posture once the storm passed.
01:16The hurricane has caused severe damage to several major health facilities, particularly across Western parishes, the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, our type C hospital in that parish, suffered catastrophic roof loss, structural failure and complete utility disruption, requiring the evacuation of 71 patients to Mandeville and Maypen.
01:42Again, Falmouth, the Falmouth, the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawney, lost most of its roofing and suffered extensive flooding, compromising electrical systems and diagnostic and clinical equipment.
01:56Prime Minister Allness noted in the southern region, two-thirds of facilities are expected to have full operations within days.
02:03As he said, to stabilize service delivery, Jamaica's health ministry will establish temporary field hospitals in the hardest-hit parishes.
02:13Flooding, stagnant water and sanitation disruption create favorable conditions for mosquito breeding and the spread of waterborne and vector-borne diseases.
02:23Public health teams are deploying enhanced vector control operations, including lavicide distribution to 120 households.
02:36Prime Minister Allness gave a few of the details.
02:38A fogging campaign is being mounted now, Madam Speaker, with the support of private contractors and expanded field staff.
02:48Water quality monitoring is being intensified at all treatment plants, with chlorination and turbidity testing to protect the population from gastroenteritis and hepatitis A and other water-related illnesses.
03:04PAHU and the WHO said their full donor alert document is available online on the PAHU WHO website.
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