Trinidad and Tobago is rolling out a US$10 million initiative to establish a centralised National Laboratory Campus aimed at strengthening regional disease surveillance.
Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe says the “TT One Lab Plus” project, funded through the Pandemic Fund, will bring human, animal and environmental diagnostic services under one roof to strengthen disease surveillance.
“A major initiative in this regard is the TT One Lab Plus, supported by a US$10 million Grant from the Pandemic Fund.”
Speaking on Wednesday at the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s One Health Workshop in Port of Spain, Dr Bodoe said the facility will integrate diagnostic testing and data sharing across human, animal and environmental health sectors.
“As part of our continued commitment to disease prevention, Trinidad and Tobago has embarked on the development of a national roadmap for the elimination of communicable diseases and related conditions.”
Warning that global diseases remain a direct threat to the Caribbean’s tourism, agriculture and fishing industries, Minister Bodoe urged regional health leaders to take a coordinated and proactive approach to regional health surveillance.
“Between January and July 2026, the Pan American Health Organization documented 455 outbreaks of avian influenza in animals across 10 countries in the Americas. These developments remind us that infectious disease threats can emerge and spread rapidly, making early detection, effective surveillance, and coordinated responses essential.”
The Minister also called for an end to data hoarding among Caribbean nations, urging regional agencies to share public health information to help stop the spread of food-borne and animal-transmitted diseases.
“Sometimes we tend to be, you know, very reluctant to share data, but it’s all about that. It’s all about our own health, our own public health, you know. And of course, I want to endorse that call.”
The initiative, described as the first of its kind in the Caribbean, represents a major breakthrough in securing the region’s health and economic future.