Campaign launched to protect against infectious diseases over summer festivals

Bridgetown, Barbados, 4 August 2023 - The Ministry of Health and Wellness, Barbados, through support from USAID and UNICEF has collaborated with ten-time calypso monarch - Barbados' Cultural Ambassador Dr. The Honourable Stedson Wiltshire (RPB) to promote their implementation of Infection, Prevention and Control campaign.

The campaign engages calypso tent managers, deejays, media companies and the National Cultural Foundation to promote proper hygiene practices among vendors, masqueraders, visitors and citizens as they enjoy the Crop Over festival.

“We recognize in a relaxed post-covid environment, that many people have gone back to old habits which would make them susceptible to other infectious diseases like influenza,” said UNICEF’s Social and Behaviour Change Specialist Dr Lisa McClean-Trotman.

“Most of these infections can be prevented if we practice good hygiene – both respiratory and hand hygiene.”

Dr McClean-Trotman stressed that the wellbeing of children and young people in families can be positively or negatively affected depending on the the decisions taken by adults during the festive season. 

“During the Covid pandemic, when children were impacted, they were unable to attend school, which ultimately affects their education. Similarly, if children are out of school because of flu, because of ill health because they have contracted infections from other persons, then it impacts them socially and educationally as well,” she explained.

“So even though we are targeting the general population, we do this bearing in mind that anything that impacts on the general population affects our children,” the SBC specialist added.

A similar USAID and UNICEF supported programme was carried out with the St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ministry of Health and Wellness in July for ‘Vincy Mas’ and another is in the works for ‘Spice Mas’ in Grenada.