SINT MAARTEN (CAY HILL) - St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) is inviting parents and expecting parents from St. Maarten, Curaçao and Aruba to take part in a new survey on public knowledge, perceptions and preferences around vaccination and the prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in young children.
The survey is part of the ongoing RSV Roadmap Project, coordinated by SMMC's Quality Care & Safety Officer Tanya Balani and Medical Staff Bureau Officer Veerle Bok-Baroud together with Project Coordinator Claire Fransman on Aruba and Project Coordinator Sabrina Varsovia on Curaçao, in collaboration with the Dutch Radboud University Medical Center and other regional and international healthcare stakeholders.
The project builds on the CARE-SAFE study and connects scientific evidence, local epidemiological data, healthcare-system considerations and community perspectives to help the islands decide how future RSV prevention strategies could best be introduced within their respective healthcare systems.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that can cause serious illness, particularly among infants and young children. New prevention options are increasingly available, including vaccination during pregnancy and preventive antibodies that can be given to infants directly after birth.
Before decisions are made about how these strategies could be introduced locally, the project team believes it's essential that parents' views are heard.
The survey can be filled out by individuals who meet these criteria: • Expecting parents • Parents of children between 0 and 5 years of age • Adults aged 18 years and older • Residents of St. Maarten, Curaçao and Aruba Participants will be asked about their awareness of RSV, their views on childhood and maternal vaccination, and their preferences regarding different approaches to protecting infants against RSV.
"Decisions about prevention strategies and implementation should not be based only on scientific evidence and healthcare logistics. We also need to understand what parents know, what concerns they may have, and what they feel is best for themselves and their children," said Veerle Bok-Baroud, Medical Staff Bureau Officer.
"The parents' input is an important part of developing a prevention strategy that is both effective and appropriate for our islands. That is why we created this survey: to give parents a meaningful opportunity to share their perspectives and help shape a strategy that reflects the needs of our communities," said Tanya Balani, Quality Care & Safety Officer.
The anonymous results will feed into a decision and implementation roadmap for RSV prevention and will be weighed alongside scientific evidence, local disease patterns, healthcare capacity, costs and practical considerations on each island.
The project team is calling on parents and expecting parents throughout St. Maarten, Curaçao and Aruba to complete the survey and share it with others who may be eligible.
It takes only a few minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.
Complete the survey here by picking your language (or use the QR code on the flyer): htps://linktr.ee/rsvpreventioncas
