Health officials in the Dominican Republic have ramped up their surveillance and mosquito eradication efforts to stop the surge of dengue virus.Vice Minister of Collective Health, Dr Eladio Pérez said most of the infections were recorded in the urban areas of Santo Domingo Norte, Este, Distrito Nacional and Santiago. Approximately 77.8% of reported cases are in individuals under 19 years of age.
He explained that “the climatic conditions that are registered in the country, that is, the heat, the rains and the water stored incorrectly, favour the reproduction of the larvae of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which contributes to the increase in cases.”
Public health officials have been in communities conducting public education as well as placing larvicides in water containers and spraying.
