Public Health to focus on health impact of drinking water

In the Dominican Republic, water scarcity and poor water management increase vulnerability to extreme events, affecting more than 30% of the population. The information is in bulletin number 39, issued by the General Directorate of Epidemiology.

According to the official document, the most significant challenges are modernizing water infrastructure and wastewater treatment and improving the efficiency of irrigation and distribution systems.

Vector diseases related to water, sanitation, and hygiene include dengue, arboviral diseases, and lymphatic filariasis, transmitted by mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Culex, as well as schistosomiasis, which involves snails, says the Public Health Agency in the report. Urbanization, poor water management, and climate change favor its spread. Dengue has increased significantly, affecting half of the world’s population. Urban conditions with inadequate water and sanitation services allow mosquitoes to proliferate in reservoirs. To control these diseases, it is essential to improve access to water, properly manage waste, and adopt an integrated approach that considers vector management and the environment, the Ministry of Public Health says in the text. The minister’s editorial is dedicated to water.

Transmissible

During week 39, 70 suspected cases of dengue were reported. Of these, 10% are laboratory-confirmed, and 45.7% (32) are pending confirmation. According to place of residence, the confirmed cases are distributed among the provinces of Duarte, with 70% of the confirmed cases, Monseñor Nouel, and Santiago Rodríguez, with 14% each.

So far this year, 1,161 of the 9,527 suspected cases have been confirmed. The cumulative incidence of confirmed cases is 1,450 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Leptospirosis

This disease transmitted by the leptospira bacterium has registered 32 deaths to date. According to information from the General Directorate of Epidemiology, 413 people are affected.