Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. September 18, 2026. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), together with regional and international partners, has advanced practical steps to strengthen wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) as an additional early warning tool for emerging public health threats across the Caribbean and Central America.
"Wastewater and environmental surveillance gives our countries another important source of intelligence for identifying potential health threats and supporting earlier public health action," noted Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA. "The strength of this approach lies not only in the technology, but in bringing together epidemiology, laboratory science, environmental health, sanitation chain and One Health information. Through collaboration across the Caribbean and Central America, we can share expertise, strengthen national capacities and transform environmental signals into actionable intelligence that better protects our populations."
Dr. Indar made the comments following the Second Caribbean and Central America Regional Workshop on Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Prioritisation, held from September 14–16, 2026, in Panama City, Panama. The workshop brought together epidemiologists, laboratory specialists, environmental health professionals, policymakers, academics and surveillance experts from Barbados, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago.
WES involves monitoring and surveillance of wastewater and other environmental samples for pathogens or indicators of pathogens circulating within communities. The information can help public health authorities identify changes in disease activity, assess risks and take earlier, more informed action.
Dr. Horace Cox, Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at CARPHA, underscored the importance of positioning WES within an integrated surveillance system. "Wastewater and environmental surveillance is most valuable when it strengthens and complements the surveillance systems countries already have. By connecting environmental signals with epidemiological, laboratory, syndromic and other surveillance information, countries and the Region can gain a more comprehensive picture of emerging and re-emerging risks. This workshop has helped us define practical steps towards that integration while ensuring that implementation is guided by country priorities, available capacity and public health need," Dr. Cox said.
Over the three days, participants examined the potential role of genomic surveillance, sequencing, metagenomics, and bioinformatics in WES, including associated laboratory data-analysis, and the interpretation of surveillance information. Country teams also identified implementation priorities, sampling approaches, surveillance-site selection and feasible next steps tailored to their national contexts.
A major focus of the workshop was the continued development and formalisation of a Regional WES Community of Practice. The network is intended to support technical cooperation, peer learning, knowledge exchange and shared problem-solving among participating countries. The regional approach also supports the progressive integration of WES information with CARPHA's Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance System (RIEWSS). The phased process will begin with agreed metadata and reporting requirements, followed by alignment with laboratory, epidemiological, environmental health and One Health data streams, with the aim of integrating WES data into RIEWSS by the second quarter of 2027.
The workshop resulted in updated country status summaries; documented priorities for pathogens, sampling and surveillance sites; further development of governance arrangements for the Regional WES Community of Practice; and practical country and regional actions for integrating WES into broader surveillance systems.
CARPHA will continue working with Member States and partners to strengthen wastewater and environmental surveillance, support sustainable country implementation and improve the use of integrated early warning information for timely public health decision-making.
The workshop was jointly delivered through collaboration among CARPHA, the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COMISCA) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with support from; Panama's Ministry of Health, the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and St. George's University.
Photo Captions:
Photo Caption: Group photo of the participants and facilitators at the Second Caribbean and Central America Regional Workshop on Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Prioritisation, held from September 14–16, 2026, in Panama City, Panama.
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