Authorities are not making announcements in public, but medical personnel at key hospitals estimate that there will be at least 12,000 cases of dengue in the Dominican Republic this year.
A high of 4,000 cases has been reported when the peak months for the mosquito-borne disease are usually August and September.
Barahona, Santo Domingo province and the National District have the most cases. Dr. Clemente Terrero, the assistant director of the Children’s Hospital at the Robert Reid Cabral Children’s Hospital in Santo Domingo, forecast that at this pace between 10,000 and 12,000 cases will be cared for at hospitals this year, well above the 1,558 seen last year.
The health authority recommendations are the same year to year: no standing water, wash with chlorine the rim of water containers kept outdoors, and keep these covered. Use mosquito netting and seek medical assistance if symptoms occur. These symptoms are a strong headache; pain behind the eyes; joint and muscular pain; skin rashes; diarrhea, a lack of energy, vomiting and nausea.
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El Dia
29 July 2019