Public health must perform autopsies on dengue casualties: PAHO

Santo Domingo.– PAHO International Consultant on dengue Dr.Eric Martinez Torres suggested the automatic autopsy to all who dies of dengue,so that the serotypes could be identified and make truly scientific diagnosesthat would serve as a basis for effective public policies to combat thedisease.

During a meeting with reporters from the health sector,Martinez said the mosquito-borne disease is preventable if the population iswell educated about it, "because no parent would allow a breed agent that leadsto casual risk of disease or death for their children."

In the absence of a drug, he said that a vaccine oreffective antiviral for the prevention of dengue as well as educating thepopulation are powerful tools for prevention. Martinez asked the media tocooperate in sharing the information with the public, so that citizens are theprotagonists in eliminating the causes of dengue in the Dominican Republic.

WHO defines an epidemic as the occurrence of a disease in anarea clearly beyond normal expectancy. Usually this means there is equal orgreater number of cases compared to a pre-determined critical number ofoccurrences which signal yes, we have an epidemic.