It's rare, but it happens in the DR
Porfio_Rubirosa said:
Bring insect repellent and forget about Malaria. Never heard of a case in the DR. But be careful with children and deet, the active ingredient in most repellents. Don't use it on the face or the trunk of the body.
PR,
You may have not heard of any malaria cases in the DR, but they do happen -- at least according to OPS/PAHO. According to them, there is a risk of malaria in the DR, but not so high that taking prophylactics (the awful pills everyone is refering to) is recommended for all visitors. The recommendation to use insect repellent containing deet (in my experience, any repellent not containing deet will not help you in the DR) is sensible, especially since one runs a higher risk from dengue than malaria in the DR, and its vector is the same mosquito. [My wife, a
dominicana who usually does not get bitten much by mosquitos, was struck by dengue in 1998 while we lived in Santo Domingo. And no, we didn't live in a bad part of town or near a large body of standing water.] You can utilize a repellent with lower quantities of deet for kids, just don't spray it dircetly on their face. Instead, spray some into your own hands, then apply it to the child's face. In other words, same precautions you would (hopefully) take if you were hiking or camping in the U.S.
Best regards,
Keith