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Caribbean RSV research translates into policy and new projects

Our research on RSV seasonality across the six Caribbean islands of the Dutch Kingdom showed that RSV circulation peaks earlier than in the Netherlands, with most infections occurring between June and December.

Importantly, the research is already translating into policy. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has incorporated the Caribbean RSV seasonality into its guidance for Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, allowing RSV prevention to be better aligned with local epidemiology. The findings were covered by both Dutch national and international media, helping to draw wider attention to an important message from our work: preventive strategies cannot simply be transferred from one geographical setting to another, but should be tailored to local epidemiology and healthcare contexts.

Building on these findings, we have secured ZonMw funding for two new projects: CARE-READY, which will strengthen respiratory infection surveillance, serosurveillance and research preparedness across all six islands, and the RSV Roadmap CAS-islands project. The latter will support Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten in developing locally appropriate strategies for RSV prevention. These projects also mark an exciting expansion of our Caribbean-based research team. Four project coordinators have joined the programme: Veerle Bok-Baroud and Tanya Balani in Sint Maarten, Claire Fransman in Aruba, and Sabrina Varsovia in Curaçao. Together, they bring expertise spanning biomedical sciences, epidemiology, health policy, diagnostics and implementation, while further strengthening locally embedded research capacity across the islands.

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© Copyright Lilly Verhagen
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