SVG Joins Regional Partners in Prioritizing Zoonotic Disease Preparedness

An image of participants during the Prioritisation of Zoonotic Diseases workshop in SVG. This image was provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

By S.Browne. Updated 4:43 p.m., Monday, December 15, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

In an effort to strengthen preparedness, prevention, and response to emerging health threats, 72 officials from the Public Health, Agriculture, and Environment ministries, along with members of academic institutions and the private sector from St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts and Nevis, participated in workshops on the Prioritisation of Zoonotic Diseases.

Cleveland Clinic states that Zoonotic diseases are infectious illnesses that spread between animals and humans. Bacteria, parasites, viruses, fungi and prions can cause them. Zoonotic diseases spread through contact with infected body fluids, animal bites, contaminated water and eating infected meat. Bats, livestock, rodents, birds and other vertebrates can carry them.

For SVG, the workshop took place on November 10–11, 2025 and was delivered with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), through the Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA), and the PAHO Office in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries.

During the workshops, participants from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture reviewed 40 zoonotic diseases using the adapted PANAFTOSA prioritisation methodology. The diseases were assessed against key criteria, including human transmissibility, animal-to-human transmission potential, severity and public health impact, economic impact, feasibility of surveillance, climate sensitivity, and impacts on vulnerable groups. This process enabled each country to identify and prioritise the zoonotic diseases and health risks of greatest concern, providing a solid foundation for public policies at the human–animal–environment interface under the One Health approach.

The workshops also defined the next steps for coordinated national action. Proposed priorities include strengthening routine multisectoral surveillance, harmonising case definitions and standard operating procedures, improving information-sharing between sectors, engaging private veterinarians in national surveillance efforts, developing a national One Health emergency disease action plan, and planning long-term initiatives such as multisectoral simulation exercises and integrated surveillance systems.

The prioritisation process is expected to help participating countries pinpoint high-priority diseases and reinforce their prevention, preparedness, surveillance, and control efforts.

PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries and Advisor on Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity, Dr. Frédérique Dorleans, underscored the importance of the workshops, noting that the collaborative and intersectoral gatherings provided a critical opportunity to advance preparedness and strengthen capacities to respond to emerging infectious health threats.

Livestock Development Officer and FAO Lead Technical Officer for the Project, Ms. Tania de Getrouwe Hoost, highlighted the technical significance of the workshops. She explained,
“The zoonotic disease prioritisation exercises provided an opportunity to apply a rigorous, evidence-based methodology that integrates epidemiological, environmental, and socioeconomic criteria to guide national decision-making. By systematically evaluating 40 zoonoses using the adapted PANAFTOSA framework, countries were able to generate validated, context-specific priority lists that directly inform the design of multisectoral surveillance systems, laboratory capacity-building, and targeted prevention and control strategies.”

The workshops were described as an important step towards enhancing health security, protecting livelihoods, and strengthening both national and regional resilience to emerging health threats across the Eastern Caribbean.

This initiative forms part of the project ‘Strengthening Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies in the Eastern Caribbean Countries (ECC),’ funded by the Pandemic Fund. The project is led by the participating countries’ Ministries of Health and Agriculture, with PAHO/WHO, FAO, and the World Bank serving as implementing agencies.

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The information was sourced from a press release sent to us by the FAO.