Dominican Republic chikungunya cases skyrocket while work to eliminate mosquito breeding sites continue
The number of chikungunya cases in the Dominican Republic continues to rise at an alarming rate as the Ministry of Health’s Department of Epidemiology reports 52,976 cases, according to a Health Ministry news release yesterday (computer translated).
Image/CDC
More than half of the total cases (28,281) are reported from San Cristobol, where the outbreak began in April.
In addition, in a follow up to the country’s “National Day” last Friday, Health Minister Dr. Freddy Hidalgo Núñez says more than 122,000 mosquito breeding sites were eliminated. Núñez said that the provincial health officers worked in communities to reach every house, eliminating mosquito breeding sites and applying larvicide in containers holding water.
Hidalgo stressed that social sectors will continue to be mobilized to combat the chikungunya virus. Actions include the destruction of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitos breeding-sites, which transmit the disease. He reported that the provinces that will be impacted the next Saturday (San Cristóbal, San Pedro de Macoris, Hato Mayor, Santo Domingo and the National District ) have been prioritized by the incidence of the virus and the degree of infestation of mosquito breeding sites . For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page.
