The Ministry of Public Health announced a house-by-house vaccination blitz in the Cienfuegos and Gurabo slum areas in Santiago province, where there recently was a diphtheria outbreak. The Ministry had been vaccinating for measles in the area, and will now vaccinate children with a second dose of the DPT vaccine. Dr. Melchor Figuereo, provincial director for the Ministry of Public Health, said there have not been any more reports of diphtheria in the Cienfuegos and Gurabo area where the outbreak occurred. The Ministry estimates that 80% of Dominican children are vaccinated against the disease. Vaccinations are free at the Ministry of Public Health vaccination centers.
