Rising whooping cough cases in the Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, has seen a notable increase in the Dominican Republic since late October 2023, according to Jorge Matos, director of the pulmonology department at CEDIMAT. This resurgence mirrors trends observed in the United States. Matos mentioned that CEDIMAT has admitted four patients due to whooping cough, with many more cases treated on an outpatient basis.

Contrastingly, the Vice Minister of Collective Health from the Ministry of Public Health reported only one suspected case under investigation, a 32-year-old female. The discrepancy between CEDIMAT’s observations and the Health Ministry’s reports has highlighted a gap in the notification and tracking system of such diseases in the country. This situation underscores the need for improved mechanisms for reporting and processing information about infectious diseases like whooping cough within the Dominican healthcare system.