CAY HILL:--- A group of St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) medical specialists and their partners recently received a ZonMw pandemic preparedness grant for their ongoing work in respiratory tract infection surveillance. ZonMw is a Dutch body that designs programs for the Dutch Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports (VWS) and the Dutch Research Council (NOW). The grant funds a comprehensive investigation into the dynamics of respiratory infections and immunological responses to viral infections in the Dutch Caribbean.
The CARE-SAFE team consists of Dr. Lilly Verhagen, SMMC Pediatrician, and Infectious Disease and Immunology Subspecialist at Radboud University Medical Center (UMC) in Nijmegen; Dr. Martijn Tilanus, SMMC Pediatrician; Dr. Sonja van Roeden, SMMC Internist-Infectiologist; Dr. Radjinkoemar Steingrover, SMMC Medical Microbiologist; Dr. Angelino Tromp, Medical Laboratory Services (MLS) Molecular Microbiologist; and Drs. Fleur Koene, MLS Medical Microbiologist.
This grant allows the team to further the research they presented in June 2023 at the Dutch Caribbean Research Week, which focused on respiratory tract infection epidemiology in children on the island of St. Maarten. The data from the first research project indicated that respiratory tract infections notably burden SMMC and that island transmission dynamics are different, suggesting that preventative measures, such as vaccination strategies, may need to be adapted. This research addresses the necessary adaptation of preventative measures by conducting the first systematic exploration of viral epidemiology in the Dutch Caribbean to provide valuable data for optimizing the timing of these measures.
The research parameters have also been expanded to include data from adults in the study to help enhance preparedness for existing pathogens and lay a foundation for addressing potential pandemics.
SMMC congratulates the team on their achievement and continues to encourage and support clinical research on St. Maarten and in the Dutch Caribbean to improve the quality of care, ensuring that the islands and their inhabitants receive high-quality healthcare close to home.
