According to the latest epidemiological report issued by the Ministry of Public Health, so far this year there have been over 10,000 suspected cases of chikungunya, dengue and malaria.
These break down into 7,520 cases of chikungunya and 2,100 probable cases of dengue, including 15 deaths. Both are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito that breeds in clean water.
Malaria is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito that breeds in stagnant water.
As far as dengue is concerned, 83% of cases have been reported in 11 provinces: Santo Domingo, National District, Duarte (San Francisco de Macoris), Santiago, Espaillat (Moca), San Cristobal, Monsenor Nouel (Bonao), Puerto Plata, Maria Trinidad Sanchez (Nagua), Peravia (Bani), La Vega, San Juan, Valverde (Mao), Sanchez Ramirez (Cotui) and Azua.
There is a yellow alert in San Cristobal, Duarte, Espaillat and Maria Trinidad Sanchez. Across the country the dengue rate is similar to 2013 with 70 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and a death rate of 0.7%.
Chikungunya is a new virus whose first cases were registered in February, and so far most cases, 3,974 out of the 7,520 registered are in Nigua, 3,504 in Bajos de Haina and 42 elsewhere in the country.
As far as malaria is concerned, two cases were confirmed in Santo Domingo East last week but so far this year the number of cases reported is four times less than 2013.
www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2014/5/5/320788/El-pais-registra-10000-casos-de-enfermedades-en-lo-que-va-de-ano