Public Health pro-active in STD surveillance 

Several health care workers attended the workshop
on Strengthening Surveillance in the Cayman Islands.

Monday,  June  13, 2005

The Public Health Department was praised recently by a visiting specialist for taking responsibility and a pro-active role in curbing sexually transmitted diseases, specifically HIV/AIDS: 

Speaking at a workshop for public health officials, eminent epidemiologist Dr Robert K. Lee, from the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) in Trinidad and Tobago, praised the Cayman Public Health Department as having a model surveillance system. 

“I find the Public Health to be well funded and well staffed, making them very successful in disease detection and reporting.”

He said that Cayman’s low incidence of AIDS could be attributed to the willingness of the public to participate in the available programmes as well as their confidence in the public health system. 

Having the necessary resources to support public health initiatives and a department that takes its responsibility seriously by paying attention to details, also play a large role in successful prevention, he explained.

The workshop for public health officials on strengthening disease surveillance in the Cayman Islands, which was presented by Dr Lee, focused on reinforcing methods, and also updated health workers on international surveillance standards. 

“Living in a world where intercontinental travel is an everyday occurrence, we need to adjust the way we think about the spread of diseases, and applying international standards to disease surveillance is more important than ever,” said Cayman’s Director of Public Health, Dr Kiran Kumar.

Workshop attendees also reviewed some of the changes needed in the field, and assessed local progress in disease surveillance. 

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Dr Lee noted how impressed he was with the sophisticated surveillance system that is already in place in Cayman. 

During his visit Dr Lee also assisted with finalizing the Cayman Islands’ Manual on National Communicable Disease Surveillance that documents standards for disease detection and reporting.

This was Dr Lee’s third visit to the Islands. His previous trips were mainly to facilitate the development of a local surveillance system, specifically aimed at AIDS, as well as developing HIV/AIDS programme. He remains in constant contact with the Public Health Department, monitoring its activities. 

CAREC in Trinidad is part of the Pan American Health Organisation, and Dr Lee is responsible for the disease surveillance programmes of over 21 territories in the Caribbean.

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