Veterinary Public Health
Last update: 1 April 2022
Priority diseases :
Rabies,
Salmonellosis (poultry, table eggs),
Leptospirosis
General objectives
Support regional activities and contribute to the harmonization of control protocols and strategies to minimize the occurrence of animal diseases of public health importance in the region: Rabies, Salmonellosis, Leptospirosis and others as necessary.
Creation date: May 2011 (December 2011, Puerto Rico)
Last update: 1 April 2022
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The CaribVET Rabies sub-working group has been conducting activities related to rabies prevention and control since 2013. These include i) the administration of a regional survey on rabies within the Caribbean, ii) hosting a rabies diagnostic workshop (Grenada, Dec. 2014), iii) development of rabies public awareness materials, iv) hosting a regional Webinar for Medical Practitioners and v) a Caribbean workshop on Bat Rabies Surveillance, aiming to improve surveillance of bat-borne rabies in the Caribbean, thereby providing more accurate data on the prevalence and distribution of rabies. The group has also registered this workshop as a World Rabies Day (WRD) Event with the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC). World Rabies Day is commemorated annually on September 28th and focuses on declaration and action to raise awareness and enhance prevention and control of rabies globally. -
The CaribVET Leptospirosis sub-working group has been conducting activities related to leptospirosis prevention and control since 2013. This include i) the preparation, printing and distribution of Leptospirosis brochures for the general public, livestock owners and pet owners, ii) the developement, printing and distribuion of posters on Modified Faines Criteria to health centers in Caribbean countries, to provide physicians with a diagnostic algorithm for Leptospirosis in the absence of a diagnostic test. These materials were funded by the European Union under the IICA SPS project. iii) A paper entitled “Leptospirosis in the Caribbean: a literature review” was prepared and accepted for publication by the American Journal of Public Health. iv) A training workshop on Leptospirosis diagnostic testing, particularly the Microscopic Agglutination Technique (MAT) was held at the Leptospira Laboratory in Barbados in May 2016. This activity also was funded under the IICA SPS project. v) An earlier achievement was developing One Health guidelines for the prevention, surveillance and control of Leptospirosis in a workshop in Dominica in September 2013.