President Irfaan Ali on Saturday said Guyana has asked the United States (US) to provide proof that Cuban workers were being exploited in Guyana, amid the Trump administration’s decision to cancel the visas of foreign government workers and their immediate family members if Cubans continue to be put into forced labour. “We also said to ...

The Ministry of Health reported that it has the necessary vaccines to protect the population and aims to cover 95% of people requiring inoculation.

The director of Immunopreventable by Vaccines (IVD) of the Ministry of Health, Aida Lucía Vargas, said that vaccines to reduce the risk of influenza A and B, among others, are available in more than 1,450 fixed posts throughout the national territory.

Anyone as young as six months of age can get a flu vaccine at these vaccination sites for free.

The director reported that in 2025, in addition to girls between 9 and 14 years old, boys of the same age will also be vaccinated against human papillomavirus. Before, we only vaccinated females.

Vargas indicated that the Dominican Republic, through the Ministry of Health, has a vaccination schedule following its epidemiological situation. This schedule includes vaccines against hepatitis B and pentavalent (which prevent diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, rubella, and mumps) and for reducing the risk of meningitis, whooping cough, rotavirus, and TDAP for pregnant women, among others.

“We have vaccines for the entire life course of people,” she said.

The specialist called on parents to go to the vaccination centers with their children to protect them from diseases.

Dr. Evangelina Soler, a pulmonologist, assures us that there is no doubt about the increase in respiratory processes. However, she insists that it is what is expected this season.

These are stationary viruses, such as influenza, which have resulted in an infectious rebound that should be monitored.

“Most of the patients who come to our clinic are affected by the influenza virus,” said the health professional when interviewed by Hoy. Other viruses are also occurring in the child population, such as the OC43 variant of the coronavirus. It mainly affects the little ones.

Soler says that professionals are observing lung conditions in young patients in their consultations. This infection produces bilateral infiltrates in the lungs and is quite different from what is usually seen, as previously, it produced little pathogenicity.

Recommendations

Older adults and minors should wash their hands properly and avoid contact with sick people with respiratory processes. People who have health conditions such as kidney or cardiovascular conditions should avoid contact with those who have respiratory infections.

The same goes for those with diabetes, liver disease, and pulmonological problems. They should wash their hands and take care of their health.

Other specialists

Experts agree that viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and seasonal coronaviruses persist in respiratory infections.

This week, Dr. Robert Paulino said that these viral illnesses can be prolonged due to variability in temperature and humidity. These increasingly aggressive viruses require continuous vigilance. Every day, specialists report more cases of respiratory conditions.

For specialists, viral diseases in the northern hemisphere require preventive measures that must be adopted in the Dominican Republic this year to avoid outbreaks. The seasonal shift from winter to spring in the northern hemisphere marks a period of environmental transition that influences infectious disease dynamics.

More incidence

For specialists in these diseases, the seasonal transition shows increased respiratory and arboviral viral infections. Arbovirals at the arrival of spring and the increase in humidity create conditions conducive to the proliferation of diseases.

Santo Domingo—Nurses at the Santo Domingo Health Center say that the population is heeding the call of Public Health and regularly coming to get vaccinated against influenza, polio, and human papillomavirus (HPV).

The nurses explained that the flu vaccine is one of the most requested by users, both adults and children, especially during the seasons when flu cases tend to increase.

On the other hand, the person in charge of the vaccines area, Alvin Johnson, highlighted the availability of the HPV vaccine, which will be used as a preventive method for boys between the ages of 9 and 14 as well as girls.

In the case of polio, Jonhson emphasized that unlike the flu and HPV vaccines, it is a compulsory vaccine given to children from two months of age, and the schedule is completed by age four.

In the same vein, the manager pointed out that, given the center’s activity and high demand for offering vaccination services free of charge, they currently have a sufficient supply of vaccines to attend to the entire population that wishes to come.

“The country and the center do have the necessary and sufficient vaccines to vaccinate the population,” said Johnson.

Santo Domingo — In this Bulletin, the Directorate of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health shows zero notification of dengue cases, with a cumulative total of 22 cases registered this year. Last year, 601 cases of dengue fever were reported. The current incidence of the disease stands at 1.18, a reduction of 96 percent.

One case of malaria, and the cumulative number of cases of the disease stands at 77. The incidence rate is 4.14 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, showing a 65 percent reduction.

The notification of cholera cases has remained at zero, so the incidence remains at 0.00 percent. Zero cases of leptospirosis have been reported, for a cumulative total of 16 cases to date and an incidence of 0.87. No instances of COVID-19 have been reported, so the incidence remains at 0.87.

For this Epidemiological Week 09, the circulation of the virus Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 was detected, and for influenza.

Two cases of acute pesticide poisoning were reported, a resident of the province of Santiago, the cumulative total up to the week is 40 cases. The distribution of cases by municipality of residence is 45 percent (18) in San Francisco de Macorís, 7.5 percent in La Vega, and 5 percent in Jima Abajo.

Maternal and infant deaths

In the SE-09, four maternal deaths of Dominican women have been reported. The cumulative total for this indicator is 31 deaths, while 36 have been reported so far this year. In terms of infant deaths, 20 deaths have been reported, while 30 were reported in 2024, reflecting a decrease in these indicators.

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Santiago de los Caballeros.- The Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago (HOMS) has made history in Dominican medicine by successfully performing the country’s first robot-assisted total gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The groundbreaking procedure was led by Dr. Héctor Sánchez Navarro, deputy director general and head of robotic surgery at HOMS, alongside oncologic surgeon Dr. David Rodríguez and robotic surgery expert Dr. James Hamilton Sánchez.

The patient, a man with type 1 obesity and a history of diabetes, hypertension, and chronic gastroesophageal reflux, was diagnosed with a neoplastic lesion in the stomach after thorough evaluation at the hospital’s Digestive Studies Center (CED). The oncology and robotic surgery teams collaborated to complete the procedure with precision.

This milestone solidifies HOMS as a leader in robotic surgery and cancer treatment in the Dominican Republic. With the launch of its Robotic Surgery Center’s oncology service, the hospital now offers minimally invasive cancer treatments, ensuring faster recovery for patients.

Trisha Tannis, president of the Barbados Private Sector Association, has challenged the government to rethink its strategy on healthy eating, arguing that the latest measure to curb non-communicable diseases –  a ‘sodium tax’ on salty snacks – is insufficient without making nutritious alternatives more affordable for low-income families.

“As much as I support the thrust to reduce NCDs—and it is a must—the government has been congratulated for putting that in the crosshairs,” Tannis said. “But I would like to see an equal amount of strategy and emphasis on reducing the cost of healthy foods because when mothers, particularly in the vulnerable economic population, go into the supermarket, they are not making a nutritional choice. They are making an economic choice.”

Her comments come in response to the government’s latest budget proposal, which introduces new taxes on salted snacks such as potato chips and corn curls in an effort to discourage unhealthy eating habits. Tannis argued that this approach remains “ad hoc” and does not provide struggling families with viable alternatives.

“You simply give that woman an impossible decision to make,” she said, further noting the financial strain that many shoppers face when trying to prioritise nutrition over affordability. 

Tannis stressed the need for a targeted strategy that ensures a significant price reduction on essential fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods, suggesting that, just as unhealthy products are being taxed, healthier options should be deliberately made cheaper to empower households to make better dietary choices.

“We need a strategy that says you can pay extra for the bad things, and you can pay less for the good things,” she said. “Essentially, we need to empower households and women who are shopping for their children to make it easy to pick up the healthy things.” 

(SM)

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Cuba continues to be a trustworthy friend and partner not only of Grenada, not only of the Caribbean but of people the world over

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