WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says 90 days after Hurricane Melissa swept across parts of the Caribbean, countries are transitioning from emergency response toward recovery while continuing to confront public health risks linked to damaged infrastructure, disrupted services, and heightened vulnerability to disease.

The Category 5 storm made landfall first in Jamaica on October 28, 2025, causing widespread0 damage in several Caribbean countries, mainly across Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti, and placing sustained pressure on national health systems.

The hurricane resulted in 88 deaths and physical damage to 785 health facilities. At its peak, the storm displaced more than 100,000 people; today, that number has fallen to fewer than 6,000, about half of whom remain in temporary shelters.

In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, PAHO activated its Incident Management System and deployed technical teams through its Regional Response Team, bringing together expertise in emergency coordination, health services, disease surveillance, logistics, mental health, risk communication, and environmental health.

Medical supplies mobilised through PAHO’s Strategic Emergency Reserve in Panama included approximately 5.5 tons of essential supplies delivered to Jamaica, while 16 tons in Haiti and 21 tons in Cuba, some of which were prepositioned ahead of the storm to ensure rapid support to health services.

PAHO supported rapid assessments of damaged health facilities to inform priorities for structural safety and service restoration, while coordinating humanitarian health actors. As many of the deployed emergency medical teams have since demobilised, PAHO’s support has evolved to meet the needs of the recovery phase — prioritising continuity of care, system resilience, and longer-term public health capacity.

According to PAHO, Jamaica’s health system continues to operate under significant strain. Damage to health infrastructure, pressure on hospital capacity, and ongoing disease risks remain central challenges for public health authorities.

PAHO said that, as of mid-January, 89 per cent of health facilities nationwide (299 of 336) resumed service delivery, albeit many of these are outside the hurricane’s main path. However, several major referral hospitals continue to face severe overcrowding, with bed occupancy well above safe operating thresholds.

“The scale of destruction is still an enormous challenge. When one hospital has been decommissioned, four additional hospitals are severely affected, and 60 primary health-care centres have sustained major damage, it’s a whole different experience than when a country is affected by a more isolated event” said Ian Stein, PAHO representative in Jamaica.

With significant donor contributions, and in coordination with the Ministry of Health & Wellness and partners, PAHO supported urgent repairs for 10 priority primary health-care facilities in the most-affected parishes.

Emergency roof repairs have been completed at seven health centres, while additional facilities remain in procurement or contracting phases. Facilities built or retrofitted to PAHO Smart Hospital standards sustained minimal damage, reinforcing the value of resilient infrastructure in hurricane-prone settings.

Seventeen emergency medical teams (EMTs), including 12 international and five national teams, were deployed during the acute response phase. As of January 21, eight EMTs remained.

Across Cuba and Jamaica, PAHO’s support continues to shift from emergency response toward sustained recovery and system strengthening.

From reinforcing disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, and vector control in Cuba to expanding diagnostic logistics, field epidemiology, and surveillance systems in Jamaica, these efforts are helping countries manage ongoing public health risks while rebuilding critical health functions.

Together, they reflect PAHO’s commitment not only to addressing the immediate health impacts of Hurricane Melissa, but also to strengthening preparedness and resilience so health systems are better equipped to withstand future climate-related emergencies.