By Dacia Richards | HGP Nightly News
PAHO Warns of High Risk of Yellow Fever in the Americas Amidst Vaccine Shortage
The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued a new Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA) on the growing threat of yellow fever in the Americas, including the Caribbean, warning that the public health risk remains high due to a surge in human cases and an ongoing shortage of vaccine supplies.
According to PAHO, there has been a more than eightfold increase in yellow fever cases so far in 2025, with 221 confirmed human cases and 89 deaths, compared to 61 cases and 30 deaths in the same period in 2024.
The health body expressed concern that, unlike last year, where cases were concentrated in the Amazon region (including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Peru), new infections have emerged outside traditional endemic areas, including São Paulo State in Brazil and Timaná in Colombia.
PAHO highlighted that while vaccination efforts have expanded, global yellow fever vaccine supplies remain insufficient to meet demand across the Americas and Africa. It emphasized the need for increased surveillance, vaccination of at-risk populations, and improved public communication strategies, particularly for travelers and vulnerable communities.
Tax Revenues Fall in Latin America and the Caribbean Amid Commodity Price Slump
A new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has revealed a decline in tax revenues across the region in 2023, attributing the drop to slower economic activity and falling global commodity prices.
According to the report titled “Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean,” the average tax-to-GDP ratio fell to 21.3% in 2023, down from 21.5% in 2022 and slightly below pre-pandemic levels. By contrast, OECD countries recorded an average ratio of 33.9%.
Notably, Guyana had the lowest tax-to-GDP ratio at 11.6%, while Brazil had the highest at 32%. The decline was particularly sharp in countries reliant on hydrocarbon and mineral exports, with oil-related revenues dropping from 4.4% of GDP in 2022 to 3.9% in 2023 and mining revenues falling to 0.59% of GDP.
The downward trend is expected to continue in 2024, with preliminary estimates indicating that hydrocarbon revenues will fall to 3.2% and mining revenues to 0.5% of GDP.
US Freezes New Student Visas, Raising Alarm for Caribbean Students
The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is sounding the alarm over a recent directive from the United States government to freeze the issuance of new student visas at embassies worldwide. This move could have a significant impact on Caribbean and other international students.
Under the policy, US embassies have been instructed to pause new student visa interview appointments while new social media screening requirements are prepared for implementation. Students who already have scheduled interviews can still proceed.
The Trump administration’s directive has been labeled as “reckless and harmful” by NYIC President and CEO, who told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the policy will “disrupt the lives and futures of thousands of international students.”
He further warned that the move could open the door to discrimination based on speech and identity, particularly harming Caribbean students who contribute culturally, academically, and economically to U.S. universities and communities, especially in New York, which is home to a significant Caribbean diaspora.
