Washington, DC, 28 January 2026 (PAHO)- Ninety 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 28 October 2025, causing widespread damage in several Caribbean nations, 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 (80% of them in Cuba). 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 mobilized 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 demobilized, PAHO’s support has evolved to meet the needs of the recovery phase—prioritizing continuity of care, system resilience, and longer-term public health capacity.
Restoring services in Jamaica
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.
As of mid-January, 89% 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 centers have sustained major damage, it’s a whole different experience than when a country is affected by a more isolated event” says 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 centers, 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 operational, supporting clinical care while transitioning toward nationally led coordination. EMTs are temporary by design, focused on stabilizing situations, setting up systems, and supporting continuity of care rather than providing long-term services.
Disease surveillance and outbreak control
Between October and mid-January, authorities recorded surveillance of 124 cases of leptospirosis, including 40 laboratory-confirmed cases and 14 deaths. Cases peaked in mid-November 2025 and have since declined, with no confirmed cases reported during the first days of 2026.
Jamaica’s existing surveillance and laboratory capacity—strengthened through PAHO technical support—has played a critical role in detecting and responding to the outbreak.
“Jamaica has strong surveillance capacity, and that has been key to effectively manage the leptospirosis outbreak —and that’s a success story,” according to Stein.
PAHO support has included the deployment of field epidemiologists, laboratory training, provision of reagents, and strengthened specimen transport systems to ensure timely diagnosis and evidence-based decision-making.
Mental health, health workers, and recovery
Beyond physical damage and risks of disease outbreaks, Hurricane Melissa has taken a significant toll on the mental wellbeing of affected communities and health workers. Many frontline staff continued providing care while coping with personal losses, damaged homes, and disrupted living conditions.
“Health workers showed up, even when they were victims themselves,” said PAHO/WHO Representative in Jamaica. “They were providing care in tents or crowded rooms, while worrying about their own families.”
In response, the Ministry of Health & Wellness (MOHW), with PAHO support, has significantly scaled up mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services nationwide. More than 3,000 people have already been trained in Psychological First Aid (PFA), with training continuing in early 2026. The initiative aims to enable the delivery of additional psychosocial support sessions in the coming months. To date, MOHW teams have delivered 7,784 MHPSS interventions, with additional support from several active partners, as Jamaica works to integrate mental health care into its broader recovery and build capacity to respond to future emergencies.
Cuba: recovery strengthened by anticipatory and early action
The provinces in Cuba affected by Hurricane Melissa have formally transitioned into a phase of normalization, and all health facilities are reported to be operational, with repairs continuing where damage remains. Recovery is progressing alongside sustained public health interventions to address ongoing epidemiological risks, even as an economic crisis continues to strain health services, limiting access to essential medicines and underscoring the need for investment to strengthen resilience to future shocks.
PAHO has coordinated a sustained flow of life-saving assistance to Cuba, combining anticipatory action funding, donor contributions, and in-kind support to stabilize health services and address emerging risks. Between October 2025 and January 2026, PAHO coordinated multiple shipments of medical supplies and equipment, including pneumonia kits, Interagency Emergency Health Kits, medical backpacks, generators, power plants, fuel pumps, tents, water purification tablets, and donated medicines. Overall, external contributions and PAHO-managed funding amounted to more than USD $2.5 million, in addition to in-kind donations.
“One of PAHO’s main contributions has been to promote a continuous dialogue between health authorities and partners, and to reinforce coordination and alignment with national defined priorities, gathering information from field visits to improve effectiveness,” said Mario Cruz Peñate, PAHO/WHO Representative in Cuba.
Housing vulnerability remains a significant challenge. More than 215,000 homes (645,000 people) were damaged, and 2,760 individuals remained displaced as of mid-December, living in shelters, temporary facilities, or with host families. Slow reconstruction timelines—compounded by pre-existing housing shortages—have left many households exposed to ongoing health risks and future severe weather events.
Access to safe drinking water remains a major concern. As of late December, nearly 500,000 people continued to rely on tanker deliveries due to disrupted water supply services, with 50 water systems still out of service in Santiago de Cuba, located in the southeastern part of the island.
These structural vulnerabilities are unfolding against a complex epidemiological backdrop, including simultaneous outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya and Oropouche that occurred in 2025. By the end of December, Cuba had reported ongoing chikungunya transmission in 15 provinces, with more than 51,000 cumulative cases and 46 deaths, the first outbreak of its kind in Cuba. Transmission of dengue also continues nationwide, with over 30,000 suspected cases and 19 deaths officially reported in 2025. Heavy rainfall, disrupted supply chains, limited vector-control equipment, and gaps in early case detection have underscored the need for intensified prevention and surveillance efforts during recovery.
In response, Cuban health authorities—supported by PAHO—have expanded vector control activities, including fumigation, focal treatment, and house-to-house epidemiological investigations, while strengthening surveillance among high-risk groups. Health workers, professors, and medical students have also been engaged in community outreach and health education to raise awareness of prevention measures.
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.
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