Roadtown, Tortola - To further strengthen the Health Surveillance System in the Virgin Islands (UK), the Ministry of Health and Social Development’s Surveillance Unit will soon conduct several surveillance and reporting workshops.

The first workshop takes place this Thursday and Friday, May 7 – 8, targeting all clinicians and public health workers who are involved with reporting within the public and private sectors.

Surveillance Officer in the Ministry Ms. Athlene Linton identified a number of objectives for the upcoming workshop.

These include strengthening the reporting of infectious diseases throughout the Territory; and providing factual information from which Government can appropriately set priorities, plan programmes, and take actions to promote and safeguard the health of people in the Territory.

Ms. Linton said the workshops also aim at strengthening the capacity of the Territory’s surveillance system for detecting the outbreak of infectious diseases, especially amid the current pandemic alert due to the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus, which continues to affect a number of countries around the world.

Additionally participants will be exposed to information that would enable them to be more effective with early detection, response, and containment of infectious diseases. This week’s workshop will include presentations by Ms. Linton and National AIDS Programme Coordinator Dr. Ronald McAnaney.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development aspires to provide leadership that promotes health, social wellbeing, and a safe environment as positive resources for living and sustainable development of the Virgin Islands (U.K.).