Six diseases that are a threat to health in the Domincan Republic

At least six widely publicly known diseases currently constitute a threat to public health. Dengue, cholera, diphtheria, malaria, leptospirosis, and chikungunya. Some of these diseases are endemic, such as dengue, which shares the same transmission mode as chikungunya, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. 

Although the behavior of these diseases cannot be viewed on the Epidemiology Directorate website, because it is outdated, one death from leptospirosis and six reports have already been observed in just one week, the first in 2023. Although the numbers are not available to make comparisons of the behavior of dengue, as of the first week of this year, 70 cases of dengue had been reported, a viral disease that requires epidemiological surveillance and that greatly affects children under 15 years of age.

For the same period last year, 68 cases had been reported. No deaths had been reported as of this date. Hospitals such as Robert Reid Cabral and Hugo Mendoza report a low amount of patients. However, the disease is a latent threat and community collaboration is required to prevent it.