There have been between 26 and 30 suspected cases of the Chikungunya virus reported every day in the emergency room of Juan Pablo Pina Hospital in San Cristobal. Likewise, each of the three main private clinics in San Cristobal are reporting receiving between seven and ten cases a day.
According to the regional health director, Daniel Martinez, the areas of San Cristobal province suffering most from the disease are Haina, Nigua, Palenque, Villa Fundacion, Madre Vieja Sur and Pueblo Nuevo.
Martinez said that in different areas of Haina the number of those affected was also on the rise and warned that with the recent rains the spread of the virus could increase.
According to the daily report issued by the management of the regional hospital Juan Pablo Pina, most of the chikungunya virus patients are coming from the Barrio Nuevo sector of the San Cristobal on the banks of the Nigua River.
Doctor Miguel Angel Geraldino, hospital director, said that the patients who arrive at the hospital with symptoms of chikungunya are submitted to a rigorous treatment therapy prescribed by the Pan American Health Organization and the Dominican Ministry of Public Health.
Geraldino went on to say that all of the doctors working in the emergency room have received instructions on how to respond when presented with potential cases of the virus and that in the majority of chikungunya patients treated at the hospital and then released.
While the disease appears to be affecting people all across the province of San Cristobal, the Provincial Health Authority officials say they are unable to carry out an education campaign to inform the local population of the risks and proper procedures to deal with the virus due to a lack of resources. Prevention is by avoiding mosquito bites.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2014/4/22/319090/Reportan-al-dia-unos-30-casos-sospechosos-de-chikungunya-en-el-hospital-de
http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/prevention/