CARPHA Strengthens Regional Laboratory Network at Barbados Workshop

Observer News Desk
Twenty-six laboratory directors from across the Caribbean have completed a regional workshop aimed at improving disease detection, surveillance and coordinated responses to public health threats.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) hosted the 11th Annual Caribbean Public Health Laboratory Network (CariPHLN) Workshop from 8 to 10 September in Bridgetown, Barbados. The three-day hybrid meeting was funded through CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund grant.
Eleven directors attended in person from Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Fifteen others participated virtually, including representatives from Antigua and Barbuda and several other Caribbean countries and territories.
CARPHA said the workshop focused on stronger laboratory networking, preparedness, diagnostic coordination and public health response. Participants examined how to improve information on laboratory capacity, specimen submission and transportation, and data-sharing systems.
Executive Director Dr Lisa Indar said public health laboratories are central to regional health security because rapid pathogen detection, outbreak confirmation, antimicrobial resistance monitoring and safe specimen referral can determine how effectively populations are protected.
Dr Gabriel M Gonzalez Escobar, CARPHA’s Assistant Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control and head of its Medical Microbiology Laboratory, said sustained cooperation, timely data sharing and laboratory excellence remain essential as health threats evolve.
Participants were also briefed on CARPHA’s Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance and Response System, which combines several surveillance data streams to support earlier detection and coordinated action. They reviewed SENAITE, a web-based laboratory information management system used to support workflows, data management and information exchange.
Other discussions covered antimicrobial resistance, tuberculosis surveillance and testing, preparedness for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, biorisk management, specimen referral and the use of laboratory data in public health decision-making. Delegates also shared experiences in outbreak response and capacity building.
CARPHA said the meeting built on progress made since the previous workshop, including regular CariPHLN executive meetings, renewed technical advisory groups, expanded regional diagnostic capacity and improved communication among member states.
The agency said it would continue supporting member states to build resilient laboratory systems, strengthen regional connectivity and use high-quality laboratory information to enable earlier detection and faster responses to health threats.