Grenada strengthens national preparedness for future respiratory pathogen pandemics

St. George's, Grenada, 2 September 2026 (PAHO/WHO) - Grenada has taken another step to strengthen its preparedness for future pandemics following a two-and-a-half-day national validation workshop to review and strengthen the country's National Respiratory Pathogen Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan.

Convened by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the workshop resulted in a prioritised set of amendments to ensure that the plan reflects current legislation, staffing, institutional responsibilities and operational realities. The activity was supported through the Pandemic Fund Project for Eastern Caribbean Countries.

The plan sets out how Grenada prepares for, detects and responds to a pandemic caused by a respiratory pathogen. It covers areas including governance and legal authority, pandemic alert levels, surveillance, community protection and risk communication, clinical management, infection prevention and control, medical countermeasures, financing and national coordination. It is designed to align national practice with the International Health Regulations (2005) and apply a One Health approach linking human, animal and environmental health.

The workshop brought together 27 participants representing the Ministry of Health, including the Epidemiology Unit, General Hospital, Central Medical Stores and mental health services; the Ministry of Agriculture and Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer; Ministry of Legal Affairs; Ministry of Social Development; Government Information Service; National Disaster Management Agency; St. George's University; and the Windward Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF).

Working in groups, participants tested key provisions of the plan against how the country would respond to a respiratory pathogen event. Provisions were rated green where they were current and workable, amber where amendments were required, and red where the capacity or mechanism assumed by the plan was not yet in place.

The review found that the overall structure of the plan remains sound, while identifying several areas requiring updates to better reflect current legislation, staffing arrangements and what is operationally realistic within Grenada's context.

On the final day, participants ranked the proposed amendments and developed a single prioritised register, with responsible parties and target timeframes identified for each action. This provides the Ministry with a sequenced, time-bound framework to guide revision and implementation of the plan.

Among the priority actions identified were updating the legal and policy framework; clarifying activation authority and decision-making responsibilities; documenting laboratory and clinical surge arrangements; strengthening infection prevention and control; establishing realistic early-warning reporting and simulation exercise schedules; and ensuring emergency contact information remains current despite staffing changes.

A key One Health priority identified was the need for a standard operating procedure between the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer and the Epidemiology Unit to formalise how surveillance information is shared between the animal and human health sectors. While participants noted that collaboration already occurs when required, there is currently no written procedure governing how a signal detected in animals is communicated to the Epidemiology Unit or the expected timeframe for doing so.

The proposed procedure will be developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, St. George's University and WINDREF.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shawn Charles, underscored the importance of maintaining preparedness even when there is no immediate pandemic threat.

"Pandemic preparedness is not something a country can assemble once a threat has arrived. It has to be built, tested and maintained in the quiet periods," Dr. Charles said. "What this workshop has done is put every section of our plan in front of the people who would have to act on it and ask them plainly whether it would work. A plan that sits on a shelf protects no one. A plan that our officers have interrogated, corrected and can act on is what protects Grenadians."

The prioritised amendment register will now guide revision of the National Respiratory Pathogen Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan, with the Ministry of Health coordinating input from the responsible agencies identified during the workshop.

The activity forms part of the Pandemic Fund Project for Eastern Caribbean Countries, which supports participating countries in strengthening capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.