Public Health Minister Freddy Hidalgo says that the government is investing RD$1.1 billion in vaccination programs in 2014. This is up from RD$426 million in 2012, at the start of the Medina administration. The reason for the increase was that a new vaccine is added ever year, he said during an interview with the Corripio news group published in El Dia today, 11 August 2014.
Immunization program director Zacarias Garib Arbaje said that in 2012 the Ministry of Public Health included the rotavirus vaccination to reduce cases of diarrhea in infants. In 2013 it included the Pneumococcal vaccination to reduce infections.
For 2014 the Ministry has plans to start with the human papillomavirus vaccine as part of a strategy for early detection of cervical cancer. The vaccination will be applied to 100,000 girls between the ages of 10 to 11 who are not considered sexually active.
Hidalgo said that 6% of early deaths in the Dominican Republic occur in Haitian immigrants who use local public health services but had not received previous medical care.
Read more in Spanish: http://eldia.com.do/salud-publica-ha-duplicado-su-presupuesto-de-vacunacion/