The Ministry of Public Health confirmed that nine children have died from diphtheria in the past two months in the country. Given the low incidence of diphtheria, the outbreak of diphtheria caught the Ministry of Public Health unprepared. In the DR the anti-toxin to fight the disease is not available. Minister of Public Health Juan Octavio Ceballos said that the department had ordered the antitoxin from Puerto Rico and was expecting it to arrive today. The physician urged the parents to go through with the recommended vaccination program. There are sufficient vaccines to prevent the illness, but parents’ cooperation is needed so the children get vaccinated. He says the vaccine is 100% effective in preventing the disease. Of 38 suspect cases of diphtheria in the past year, 28 have occurred in the province of Santiago, where four children have died. Other cases occurred in Dajabón, Puerto Plata, San Cristóbal and the National District. In the Robert Reid Cabral, the main children’s hospital, have cared for 10 cases, of which eight have died. Dr. Josefina Fernandez, an expert in infectious diseases, said that when a child falls ill with the disease, there is little physicians can do. "If a case comes there is nothing we can do but pray," she said.
