Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Daniel Rivera, together with the provincial authorities of the ministry, led this Saturday a day of fumigation and decacharrización in various neighborhoods of the Gurabo sector, north of this municipality, as a prevention against dengue and other vector-borne diseases such as leptospirosis.

The activity, organized by the Provincial Directorate One, directed by Dr. Adalberto Peña, included the communities of Los Platanitos, La Chichigua, Los Cajuiles, streets 7, 19, 20, and a part of the Gurabo River, among others, where there have been some suspected cases of dengue.

Minister Rivera said that on instructions from President Luis Abinader and Vice President Raquel Peña, Public Health continues to work on the prevention and promotion of programs to combat diseases and that, thanks to this effort, in the country at this time there are no reports of cases of Zika and Chikungunya, while leptospirosis and cholera are controlled.

Rivera called on the population to cooperate with the authorities by covering their tanks at home by smearing chlorine to avoid breeding the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits dengue.

He also thanked the president of the Dominican Municipal League (LMD), Víctor D’Aza, the mayor of La Vega and president of the Dominican Federation of Municipalities (Fedomu), Kelvin Cruz, so that the municipalities are integrated into the conference and contribute to the cleaning, eliminating improvised landfills where water accumulates and the mosquito is produced.

Rivera also highlighted the work, dedication, dedication, and effort of doctors, nurses, and epidemiologists in each preventive day carried out by the Ministry of Health throughout the country.

“An uncovered water tank can produce up to 120 mosquitoes per day, which would be difficult to control,” said the official, who added that the epidemiological fence will be maintained for at least four more weeks until the temperature change occurs.

The minister and president of the Health Cabinet recalled that dengue is endemic in the country and the Americas. He said the disease had been declared a WHO and PAHO alert for the El Niño phenomenon and global warming, increasing the highest incidence of the disease in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, which have suffered remarkable historical elevations.

In addition to Minister Rivera and the provincial manager One, Adalberto Peña, the regional director of Health, Dr. Virgilio Gutiérrez, the person in charge of DPS 3, Dr. Carolina Núñez and the professional and technical team of DPS 2, representing Dr. Pedro Felipe, they participated in the day.

Lethality and suspected cases

The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Daniel Rivera, explained that the lethality of dengue cases in the country is currently 0.04%, a low proportion compared to last year for the same date. He said the most significant concern of detected issues is registered in Santo Domingo Norte. About Santiago, the official indicated that this province does not have a high incidence. He reported that until this Saturday, 26 cases had been said, that is, half that occurred last year about the disease.

Vulnerable population

Minister Rivera reported that the population most vulnerable to contracting dengue are people between 9 and 19 years old, especially those previously suffering from the disease.

He said that the mosquito that transmits the dengue virus attacks more in the lower limbs because it is always under the table and bed. He noted that the mosquito is more attracted to the person with type O blood.

Zero self-medication

Rivera urged people who present fever during this epidemiological alert not to self-medicate and go to public and private health centers, where he said there are specialists trained to provide service. He recalled that going to the doctor promptly prevents severe cases and deaths.

The most significant number of admissions is at the Hugo Mendoza pediatric hospital, with 93 children in bed, while the Robert Reid Cabral hospital had 51 as of yesterday afternoon. In the emergency rooms of public and private centers, cases of sick people are constantly arriving. Other hospitals with a high influx of patients are the General de la Plaza de la Salud, with 38 patients admitted, and the Ramon de Lara military hospital, with ten adults admitted.

According to health authorities, the country is going through an epidemic outbreak of dengue fever, which has registered more than six thousand cases. However, historically, the disease has been underreported by more than 50%.

Other hospitals with patients admitted for dengue are Rodolfo de la Cruz Lora, with 20 patients; Juan Bosch, with 15, Boca Chica, with 15 more, El Almirante, with 10 and 12 at Marcelino Velez Santana.

Interventions continue
The Ministry of Public Health reported that it continues to carry out an extensive operation against cases of dengue fever in Santo Domingo North. The highest incidence of the viral disease is felt in Santo Domingo, the National District, La Vega, San Cristóbal, and Barahona. For the past few weeks, fumigation and pest control operations have increased in the municipality of Santo Domingo Norte to mitigate the cases of dengue fever registered in this district and surrounding areas. Everyone’s participation is required.

The operation seeks to prevent the spread of dengue fever through the mosquito breeding sites that generate waste and debris accumulated in yards and plots of land. The process was carried out in the neighborhood of Las 5 Esquinas de Los Guaricanos, where it began with house by house, alleyways, and patios, followed by fumigation to combat the larvae and eggs produced by the mosquito (Aedes Aegypti), which transmits the disease.

This is the third intense operation carried out by the Ministry of Public Health through Area III of Health in this demarcation, where more than two thousand houses of Santo Domingo Norte have been intervened given the epidemic outbreak of dengue fever in the country, said the authorities.

At the national level, the health system reports more than 303 suspected cases of dengue fever. Still, most of them are concentrated in the National District and Santo Domingo province, mainly in Santo Domingo Norte, where the authorities are redoubling awareness campaigns to families to eliminate mosquito breeding sites that produce the disease.

The director of Area III of Health reported that so far this year in Santo Domingo North, there have been 700 cases of dengue fever.

Dr. Mabel Jones, director of the Robert Reid Cabral Children’s Hospital, reported that four patients have died from the disease. At the same time, seven are being investigated while specifying minimal suspected cases in the country’s interior.

He explained that yesterday, three cases were reported in the Valdesia region, one in the Jacinto Mañón hospital, 11 in the Arturo Grullón hospital, 4 in the San Vicente de Paúl hospital in San Francisco de Macorís, 2 cases in Samaná. Mothers of the children explain that they go to the centers after their children present febrile symptoms for more than three days, after suspecting that they could be affected by dengue fever.

Jenny Mojica, from San Cristobal, went to the Robert Reid Cabral hospital with her 10-year-old daughter yesterday because she had been suffering from a fever for six days.

Another, who is only identified as Banelia, is also waiting for attention from San Cristobal’s pediatric center with her four-month-old baby girl, who has been suffering from fever and vomiting for three days.

María Guerrero came to the Robert Reid Pediatric Center from Baní because her son has been feverish since last Tuesday. Walkiris Sanchez was waiting for her turn with two children at the Santo Socorro Children’s Hospital in Cristo Rey, from La Javilla, Villa Mella, Santo Domingo Norte, because they have had a fever and headache for the last three days.

Victoria Zabala arrived at Santo Socorro from La Mina de Los Guaricanos because her daughter had suffered from high fever for several days. She chose not to go to the Hugo Mendoza hospital, within the Ney Arias complex, because this center is full of patients.

At Hugo Mendoza, it was impossible to enter the consultation and emergency areas due to heavy restrictions for journalists. However, from outside, the emergency room was observed to be full of patients waiting to be attended. At San Lorenzo de Los Mina hospital, no cases were reported.

The presence of dengue serotype three is causing an increase in the number of disease cases in the country and a greater demand for medical care.

This serotype (DENV-3) has not circulated in the country for several years and, therefore, has found more susceptible people without contact with it.

This was revealed yesterday by the Vice-Minister of Collective Health, Dr. Eladio Perez, who recalled that in general in the country, the one that has circulated the most each year is serotype 2, which has always been present in recent years.

He explained that although the severity of this dengue serogroup is not more significant, there is a lot of vulnerable population that does not have the immunity it has against serogroup 2, which has always been the most present in the Dominican territory.

Dr. Perez was interviewed while participating in the opening ceremony of the third Annual Meeting of Epistemic Communities 2023 held in the country with the theme Emerging Technologies and Community Empowerment, organized by Two Oceans In Health (2OIH).

Santo Domingo and Santiago

He reported that the presence of dengue serotype three was identified in Greater Santo Domingo and Santiago, among other locations in the country, but that, nevertheless, the endemic corridor has exceeded the number of cases expected to date. Still, it has not yet entered an unmanageable stage.

He informed that currently, the highest number of dengue cases is in Santo Domingo Norte, where interventions are being carried out by the Ministry of Public Health together with the Mayor’s Office and the National Health Service, with the removal of garbage, fumigation, and awareness and education.

He said that there is a greater affluence of patients coming to the health facilities’ consultation services but that the parameters of hospitalization remain within the expected.

In the region

“We have in the country a serogroup of dengue in the country the three, which had been found previously, but had already several years that was not present, in that sense there is a lot of vulnerable population,” said the deputy minister of collective health.

He pointed out that dengue is on the rise throughout the region, and data from the World Health Organization indicate that the Dominican Republic is the country with the best indicators.

In 2023, noted the Vice Minister of Public Health, the region of the Americas has experienced a significant increase in dengue cases. So far, more than 3 million new infections have been recorded, surpassing the figures for 2019, the year with the highest recorded incidence of this disease in the region with 3.1 million cases, including 28,203 severe cases and 1,823 deaths.

Four serotypes

The four dengue serotypes are DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4, which circulate in the different countries of the Americas, and there may be cases where all of them circulate simultaneously.

According to experts, infection with one serotype followed by another condition with a different serotype increases a person’s risk of severe dengue fever and even death.

Dengue is transmitted to people by the bite of the Aedes aegyptis mosquito that breeds in clean water, especially that which accumulates in or around homes. The recommendations for its control are to eliminate containers that become breeding places, cover water used for domestic use, and go to the doctor at the first symptoms of the disease, which begins with sudden fever, pain behind the eyes and head, and general malaise.

Scientific meeting

The meeting of Epistemic Communities held yesterday in the country brought together renowned researchers who discussed different topics related to artificial intelligence and the role of technology and science in the face of future pandemics.

The renowned researcher Dr. Jeffrey V Lazarus, PhD, MIH, MA. Director of the Health Systems Research Group at ISGlobal, University of Barcelona, Spain, was in charge of the Inaugural Conference of the event, with the theme “Delphi Method as a catalyst of epistemic communities: international approach for the response to COVID-19 and future pandemics”.

The activity was organized by Two Oceans In Health (2OIH), which is a health research center dedicated to building knowledge that empowers communities in the Dominican Republic through Health Research, Data Management, and Academic Initiatives, led by researchers Eddy Perez Then and Marija Miric.

“The problem is the hepatitis B treatment, which we demand also be assumed by the program,” asked Luisa Paradas, president of Funpaheinm, who also requested that the ARSs include the treatments in their coverage, as she had told journalist Olga Vergés, of Hoy newspaper.

Paradas explained to the reporter that, although the treatments for hepatitis B and C virus are low in comparison with other diseases, not all patients have the resources to afford them.

He reiterated that health authorities should disseminate more information about the need for hepatitis testing to identify infected people through hepatitis screening days.

More lethal than malaria
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends preventing new infections and deaths from hepatitis B and C, facilitating access to treatment for all pregnant women living with hepatitis B, or providing vaccines against this disease for newborns.

It also sets desirable objectives to diagnose 90% of people living with hepatitis B and C and ensure treatment for 80% of those diagnosed.
In the case of hepatitis B, mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy is the most common. It occurs primarily in the Western Pacific, Africa, and Southeast Asia, where screening pregnant women with hepatitis B testing is crucial in curbing transmission.

However, a new WHO report shows that only 78% of the countries surveyed (64 out of 82) reported having a national policy on hepatitis B testing during pregnancy.

Of these, only half (32 out of 64) reported finally implementing these measures in antenatal clinics.

The intensivist pulmonologist, Emil Jorge Manzur, said there are mild cases, and his main recommendation is that if a patient has a history of respiratory problems and other diseases, he should pay attention to him and not abandon his medication, especially when they present difficulty breathing.

Covid on the rise

“There are three, and be careful if more viruses are spread because we not only have Covid, which is already three weeks in the rise of cases; we have influenza, metaneumovirus, we have adenovirus, which are very frequent at this time, among others, without counting the bacterial infections that we commonly see,” expressed the respiratory tract specialist.

He explained that almost all these infections are symptomatic, and these symptoms must be treated.

“The patient should be concerned” whether or not they have difficulty breathing or if the symptoms last more than five days because there are specific things that can be done for each of these viruses or bacterial infections that could modify the disease,” added Jorge Manzur.

Do not self-medicate with antibiotics

Faced with the fact that many people say they are using the same medications prescribed to them when they tested positive for Covid-19 on previous occasions, the specialist does not rule it out completely, although without self-medicating with antibiotics.

He said most people used antiallergic and mucolytic and may do so now, as well as some expectorant syrups.

“What is wrong in the case is that they add antibiotic without knowing if it is bacterial, it is wrong that they use Ivermectin, because they are not used in any context” and other drugs they used in the first line.

As for vitamin and mineral supplements (such as vitamin D, zinc, melatonin, and others) indicated when Covid was at its highest peak, the physician understands that it is not wrong to use them either. However, there is nothing to prove that the impact of the disease will be less.

Avoiding contracting viruses collectively

The renowned pulmonologist calls to take care of oneself within the framework of the possible, to value avoiding exaggerated conglomerations of people without mask protection; if you have a respiratory symptom, you must protect “your neighbor” and use a mask.

“Again, it is a very individual issue because what we do not want is that everyone gets it at the same time,” indicated Jorge Manzur, who added that most people will contract one of these viruses, but we must take care of the most sensitive ones, to avoid a severe impact.

Do not be afraid

“We do not recommend that everyone should be afraid, but we must be aware that the problem is individual. Whether it is bad for you or not is your own problem,” the pulmonologist pointed out.

Dr. Jorge Manzur said that for Covid-19, there are currently some drugs, but he acknowledged that they are expensive, one of which costs more than 30,000 pesos.

Bávaro, Punta Cana.- Retired veterans of the United States Armed Forces who visit the Bávaro-Punta Cana area have an outpatient clinic at their service.

With the objective of improving their health and well-being, and honoring their sacrifices, the Veterans Community Care Abroad clinic was inaugurated on Avenida España, Corner Plaza, Bávaro.

Alfredo Cordero, retired Army captain and clinic executive, explained that this center is at the service of veterans who served the US for more than 120 days and who reside in the Dominican Republic, however, they are ready to receive active or retired Dominican soldiers, as well as other members of the local community on specific days.

Medical services are free of charge, as they are managed through a program of the US Armed Forces.

The clinic is an outpatient clinic that goes from an initial intervention with a general practitioner who deduces what conditions veterans suffer from, which have been produced or aggravated during military service.

General medicine, psychology, and rehabilitation of physical therapies are offered, as well as therapeutic and relaxing massages, psychiatry, and orthopedics, among other services.

Opening hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Phone: (809) 795-1198
WA: (809) 841-1198
Website: www.vccavet.com

The new specialists were presented during yesterday’s celebration of the forty-eighth promotion of Cardiologists, the twenty-sixth graduation of Cardiologists-Ecocardiographers, and the second promotion of Intensivist Cardiologists.

With this promotion, the Institute of Cardiology joins the delivery of new specialists in the different medical branches that have made this week other teaching hospitals in the country, among them the Salvador B. Gautier and José María Cabral y Báez, which are developing various training programs. The event was headed by the medical director of the Institute of Cardiology, Dr. Mayra Melo, and the deputy director, Dr. Josué Pichardo, among other authorities.

When delivering the central words, Melo exhorted the new cardiologists to practice medicine with the human quality that the health center preaches and that is always focused on the benefit of the patients, “especially at this time when the aftermath of the health crisis that we recently experienced with Covid-19 is severely affecting them”.

“Today we have the satisfaction of duty fulfilled, as we are adding to the Dominican health system, ten specialists in the field of cardiology, two in echocardiography and an intensivist, who have successfully completed the program established by the direction of medical residencies of the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, endorsed by the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo,” he said. They were sworn in by Dr. Aimée Flores, Teaching Coordinator of the AIDC, and Dr. Natividad Díaz, head of the Teaching Department of the AIDC, presented them with the certification.

Under the name “Parade of Generations,” this event will take place this Sunday, July 2, at 4:00 in the afternoon within the framework of the VEST International, an outstanding exhibition on beauty, health, energy, and wellness, which will take place from June 30 to July 2 this year at the Catalonia Hotel & Resort, in Santo Domingo.

With the purchase of a 2,000 pesos ticket, attendees will be able to enjoy the parade, featuring the participation of families with children affected by Cystic Fibrosis. This will be an opportunity to raise awareness in the community about this disease and raise the necessary funds to improve the patient’s quality of life. Alexandra Tabar, president of the foundation, emphasized that they need resources to support their beneficiaries.

The Hospital Materno Infantil de la Altagracia responded to reports that several people are allegedly lying in the same bed due to the lack of this furniture.

In a communication posted on its social networks, the hospital’s management indicated that it is investigating the complaint while informing that its structure is being intervened.

“This center is currently being intervened in the areas of emergency, surgery, pre-delivery, ICU and dentistry to promote improvements in the quality of care,” the note specifies.

Complaint

This week a woman denounced using a video that her sister, who was admitted to the referred health center, was put to bed with another woman who had given birth.

The woman, whose name is unknown, told the doctor on duty, “You put several people in a bed without knowing if the other person has a contagious disease.”

She added that it is one patient per bed and considered this “an abuse and shamelessness what is being committed at the health center.”

The doctor on duty indicated that they put up to four women in the same bed if necessary since the others would not lie on the floor.

The doctor added, “just because she is your cousin, the others will not be left without a bed.”