Santo Domingo.- Cases of chikungunya fever whose epidemic began February are already declining in the Dominican Republic with a gradual reduction expected until reaching a minimum across the country, since it doesn’t repeat and leaves a permanent immunity.
Public Health Ministry epidemiology director Raquel Pimentel said surveys found that as high as 60 percent of Greater Santo Domingo’s population reported having had symptoms of the virus.
Quoted by listin.com.do, the official said 30 percent of the population had no symptoms of the disease, but had contact with the virus, so they’ve already developed immunity. "There’re some who’ve said the virus hadn’t affected them and others that it did, but without symptoms, because studies conducted show that it’s so, while now we have to do research to find out who has remained virgin."
She said numerous cases of the disease have been currently reportedly, mostly the northern Cibao region, though the trend is a significant fall since three weeks ago, especially in places where it started. "We feel that we’ll see a significant change in a couple of weeks."