Demand for beds rises due to dengue fever in health centers

Dominican Republic.- Clinics and hospitals in the most dengue-affected areas of the country are still full of patients with symptoms of the viral disease.

Relatives of affected children go from one center to another, searching for beds and locating the best doctors. According to official data, there is a slight decrease in hospitals that have been more saturated with patients, but the population indicates that they cannot find beds.

“I will ask for discharge from this clinic, if my daughter does not improve, will take her to another center,” said the mother of a teenager diagnosed with dengue.

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Situation
The Plaza de la Salud General Hospital had 29 patients admitted 12 hours ago; nine were waiting for beds in the emergency. This is the third hospital that has received the most patients with dengue fever. The Hugo Mendoza Pediatric Hospital has held first place. Yesterday afternoon, 82 minors were admitted; the emergency has a high demand. However, pediatricians insist that not everyone who comes to the emergency with a fever is dengue, as patients with influenza and other respiratory viruses have also increased.

The Robert Reid Cabral pediatric hospital had 58 minors admitted, while the Marcelino Velez Santana hospital reported 20. The Jaime Mota Hospital in Barahona had 20 admissions, and the Arturo Grullon Hospital had another 20 children. Dengue fever is also affected by the disease.

Warning signs
Firm and persistent abdominal pain; vomiting more than three in one hour, more than six in two hours; mucosal bleeding, mainly in the gums; edema; drowsy or irritable young children; hepatomegaly; hypotension (they stand up and get dizzy) and increased hematocrit, said Dr. Virgen Gomez, pediatric infectious disease specialist.

Symptoms
Dengue has symptoms that lead the family and the physician to think of dengue: the abrupt onset of fever, headache, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea, and rash.

Provinces
Some 25 provinces have presented more cases, with the municipality of Santo Domingo Norte having the highest incidence. This is why the Hugo Mendoza hospital authorities were forced to open more than 100 beds.

They have had up to 106 patients admitted. Santo Domingo, the National District, Barahona, La Vega, and San Cristobal have a high disease incidence.

The age groups that have been infected the most are 4 and 19 years old, but adults have also been infected, it has been proven.

It is an endemic disease. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.