Castries, Saint Lucia, 20 January 2026 (PAHO) - The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), convened a capacity building training workshop for community volunteers from the Red Cross, National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) and community disaster groups, on Event-Based Surveillance (EBS).
The session forms part of national efforts to strengthen early detection and response systems for emerging health threats in Saint Lucia.
Delivering remarks on behalf of Dr Amalia Del Riego, PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Countries, PAHO’s Country Program Specialist, Mrs. Fiona Anthony, commended Saint Lucia for its leadership in advancing EBS among Small Island Developing States (SIDS). She congratulated the Ministry for “pioneering a community center approach to surveillance that is essential for protecting population health, particularly in the face of emerging threats and public health emergencies.”
Event-based surveillance is a rapid, organized method of capturing information about unusual events or signals that may pose a risk to public health. It combines formal reporting channels, including routine health information systems, with informal sources, such as clinicians, schoolteachers, pharmacists, animal health workers, media outlets, and community members. Using a One Health approach, EBS enables early detection of unusual events, faster response, and reduced human and economic impact.
Speaking at the opening, National Epidemiologist, Dr. Michelle Francois emphasized the importance of the volunteer network in strengthening public health preparedness, since as community members they are often the first to observe unusual events or changes in their surroundings.
“These are individuals who live in the communities, they know best these communities and so form part of our national surveillance system whereby we train them, we educate them on what is happening in Saint Lucia and they in return come back and let us know what is happening in their communities, she said.”
Mrs. Anthony also stressed the vital role of volunteers and community actors in this system. “Your participation today is crucial,” she said. “Effective EBS relies on the vigilance and engagement of those closest to the community. Your contributions help ensure that signals of potential concern are identified early so appropriate public health action can be taken.”
Building on 2025 achievements
The training builds on significant progress achieved in 2025 as Saint Lucia advanced the development of its national event-based surveillance system.
On 3 July 2025, the Ministry, with PAHO’s support, hosted a technical workshop on “Strengthening Event-Based Surveillance in Saint Lucia.” The workshop provided:
- An overview of the new electronic EBS system
- A demonstration of the DHIS2 complaints module, designed to capture and triage community signals
- A review of standard operating procedures for national EBS implementation
This was followed by the official national launch ceremony of the Event-Based Surveillance system on 4 July 2025, marking a milestone in Saint Lucia’s public health modernization agenda.
The current training is supported under the Pandemic Fund Project, which aims to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response to emerging health threats across the Eastern Caribbean. The project emphasizes a One Health approach, ensuring close collaboration between the human health and animal health sectors in participating countries.
PAHO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Ministry in strengthening national surveillance and emergency response capacities and working alongside the Ministry to further advance surveillance systems and safeguard the health of communities.
