GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — Regional health and environmental specialists meet here next month to examine a number of issues during the 62nd annual Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) conference.

CARPHA’s executive director, Dr C James Hospedales said that increases in vector-borne diseases, rising sea level, prolonged periods of drought which pose a significant threat to human health and more frequent and intense storms and hurricanes in the region are among some crucial agenda issues slated for the Georgetown conference.

The April 27 – 29 conference will be held under the theme “’Climate Change, the Environment and Human Health,” and will include an expert panel on climate and health specialists are also expected to present their findings on the implications of rising sea levels, the impact of climate change on food security and health, as well as the significance of tobacco use among Caribbean youths.

The meeting will also discuss issues such as transgendered health, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and the much-feared mosquito borne Zika virus.

The CARPHA conference is expected to “deliver a roadmap to chart the Regional response to climate and health,” Dr Hospedales said, adding that it is the major regional forum where health researchers share and promote ways in which evidence can be used to improve people’s health and prevent death and suffering.

He said the conference “also provides a training ground for young researchers,” adding that environmental health professionals, researchers, senior health officers and clinicians will be among regional and international delegates to attend the Health Research Conference.

The conference will host a series of events including grant writing and implementation; a science workshop; a stakeholder policy dialogue; training in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH); training in indoor air quality, and a seminar on health diplomacy for Caribbean Chief Medical Officers (CMOs).