Dengue fever affected ex-policeman dies in Constanza

José Antonio Valdez Araújo (Chelo), a former member of the National Police and militant of the Fuerza del Pueblo (FP) party, died in Constanza, affected by hemorrhagic dengue fever, according to Mrs. Mayra Sugeiry Sánchez (Antonia), widow of the deceased.

She explained that her husband began to feel ill on Friday the 20th of this month while he was singing in a local restaurant, presenting strong gastrointestinal pains, headaches, and fever, reasons for which he was admitted the following Saturday afternoon to the Titi Specialties Center of this city, being diagnosed with hemorrhagic dengue.

“From Titi, we took him at one o’clock in the morning yesterday to the La Concepción Clinic in La Vega. I took him by the hand to the Intensive Care Unit, but he died at three o’clock in the afternoon. At first, I thought he had the flu, and I prepared some tea for him, but he continued to be sick, so we admitted him to Titi,” she indicated.

She complained that, even though her husband had “good insurance,” the clinic in La Vega charged him RD$30,000 for less than one day he was hospitalized.

Valdez Araújo, 49, lived with his wife and three children in the Las Flores neighborhood. His coffin was buried this morning in the cemetery of El Cercado.

On the other hand, the director of the Dr. Pedro Antonio Céspedes Hospital here, Brianda Pujols Soriano, when consulted about the evolution of the dengue outbreak affecting this city and a large part of the national territory, said that there is a decrease in the number of cases arriving at the health center.

“So far this month, probable and confirmed cases of dengue have been reported day by day here at the Dr. Pedro Antonio Céspedes Municipal Hospital. At the beginning of October we saw incidences of confirmed cases of dengue, and we had rooms full, both of adults and children, but, thank God, this week we have seen that those cases have been dropping,” he said.

He indicated that up to this Monday, there were only five confirmed cases of the disease, which for months has had the Public Health authorities in check at the national level. He specified that 33 cases of dengue fever were admitted this month, and 55 probable cases.

Pujols Soriano urged the population to maintain the safety measures that have been recommended and not to resort to self-medication because some people administer to their relatives Acetylsalicylic Acid (Aspirin), which is contraindicated in cases of dengue.

According to the information available at the moment, with Mr. Valdez Araújo’s death, two people have lost their lives in this city due to dengue.

The other victim was Mr. Pablo Álvarez, 69 years old, who died on September 25 at the local hospital. He lived in the El 9 sector of Constanza.