PAHO monitors Hurricane Melissa and supports health preparedness in the Caribbean – PAHO/WHO

Washington, DC, October 28, 2025 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is closely monitoring the evolution of Hurricane Melissa, classified as a category 5 hurricane, as it moves through the Caribbean region. The storm is already affecting Jamaica and the island and Cuba are forecast to face the most severe impacts through Wednesday. Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas may also experience related effects.

According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa is expected to bring extremely heavy rain, strong winds, storm surge, and widespread flooding, posing significant risks to public health and the continuity of essential services.

Through its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Washington, DC, PAHO maintains continuous coordination with the Ministries of Health of countries at risk, tracking the path of the hurricane and its possible health impacts. PAHO is also working with regional humanitarian and emergency management partners, including United Nations and Caribbean disaster management agencies, to harmonize preparedness and response efforts.

Preparation

As part of its preparedness measures, PAHO has pre-positioned first aid kits and emergency medical supplies in Haiti. These include inter-agency emergency health kits, trauma kits and cyclone response kits stored at the Central Medical Store (PROMESS) in Tabarre, outside Port-au-Prince, for rapid deployment as needed.

Additional stocks of essential medicines, medical and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies, and laboratory materials are maintained in the PAHO Regional Strategic Reserve in Panama. PAHO’s multidisciplinary regional response team is ready to be deployed to assist with health needs and damage assessments, coordination, emergency care, restoration of essential health services, and outbreak prevention and control, among others.

In Haiti, the Ministry of Health has activated its crisis cell and regional health offices are on alert. Preliminary reports indicate localized flooding and disruptions to some health facilities, and measures are being taken to maintain patient care. In Jamaica, authorities have activated the national Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the response, including hospitals and health centers. Health authorities in eastern Cuba and southern Dominican Republic remain on alert for possible flooding and service disruptions.

Potential health impact

Authorities are preparing to face significant risks to public health and the functionality of health systems in the affected countries. The following priorities outline key areas of concern that require immediate attention and coordinated action:

• Health services: Melissa is expected to disrupt the delivery of healthcare, with possible damage to healthcare facilities, power and water outages and limited access, particularly in coastal and rural areas. Hospitals may face service disruptions and increased numbers of emergency cases.
• Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH): Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure in health facilities and shelters can increase the risk of outbreaks and disrupt normal hospital operations.
• Disease surveillance: Flooding and displacement increase the risk of outbreaks of waterborne and vector-borne diseases and respiratory infections in crowded shelters. Strengthening surveillance is key to early detection of possible disease outbreaks.
• Mental health and psychosocial support (SMAPS): Displacement, loss and prolonged stress have increased psychosocial needs. PAHO supports the integration of psychological first aid and community mental health care in response operations.

To mitigate these risks, rapid assessments of the health services network should be conducted to determine functionality, damage, and urgent life-saving needs immediately after the hurricane. Additionally, restoring and maintaining safe water, sanitation and hygiene in health centers and shelters will be a top priority to prevent secondary disease outbreaks.

PAHO is providing guidance to national and local authorities to reorganize service delivery to ensure timely access to essential and emergency medical care, improve infection prevention and control, and strengthen medical waste management and water safety monitoring to ensure preparedness for rapid response if the hurricane impacts health services.

PAHO will continue to monitor the evolution of the hurricane and support countries in the implementation of response measures, in close coordination with governments and humanitarian partners, to maintain health services and protect communities that may be affected.