DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

With a proactive approach, the Dominican Republic is successfully keeping a lid on a potential dengue outbreak, despite a surge of the mosquito-borne illness plaguing the Americas.

While the region grapples with a staggering 8 million dengue cases so far in 2024, the Dominican Republic has managed to contain its outbreak to just 840 confirmed cases out of roughly 5,000 suspected ones. This success story is attributed to swift action taken by the Ministry of Public Health under the leadership of Dr. Victor Atallah.

Dr. Atallah, a cardiologist and functional medicine practitioner, took office in January 2024 facing a looming regional health crisis. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) had warned of a potentially disastrous dengue season due to climate change and expected heavy rains.

Determined to prevent a similar scenario in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Atallah launched the...