Illnesses in the Dominican Republic that must be reported to the health authorities are dengue, leptospirosis, cholera, malaria, rabies, diphtheria, tetanus, and meningitis. Of these illnesses, eight have accounted for over 100 fatalities over the past year, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Just two of these illnesses, dengue and leptospirosis, have accounted for 50 deaths each. Over the year of 2019, there were more than 20,000 reported cases of dengue.
There were 359 cases of leptospirosis reported this past year, which produced 50 fatalities. The 50 deaths represented a reduction of over 10% from the previous year.
The toll for the eight controlled diseases was 121 fatalities, up from 75 a year ago. The marked increase in the number of cases of dengue fever, as well as improved communications and supervision, explains the increase.
While this information is in the latest bulletin from the Epidemiological Department of the ministry, many experts feel that, in most cases, the numbers are far under-reported by at least 50%.
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Listin Diario
7 January 2020