With 90 deaths attributed to dengue fever so far this year, the Dominican Republic still has the highest death rate in the region. The situation is causing concern among pediatricians and other specialists as well as the Dominican Medical Association (CMD), which believes that the Public Health authorities, the city governments and the water sector should take over and carry out public education to encourage measures that reduce the number of cases and stop the deaths. The deaths are 22 more than the authorities reported all last year, and there have been triple the number of cases, going from 3,595 to 12,609 at present.
In the epidemiological bulletin for week 41, the authorities report 657 people affected by dengue, including three deaths, according to Diario Libre. Of the 12,609 suspected cases reported so far this year, 264 were serious, of which 174 managed to survive. The accumulated incidence is of 155.9 cases per 100,000 people, representing an increase of 1.3 times compared to last year. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) had warned that in 2013 there was going to be an epidemiological year in terms of dengue outbreaks. Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Clemente Terrero warned last month that the trend suggests 100 fatalities and more than 15,000 cases by the end of the year.