The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Victor Atallah, informed this Wednesday that the institution is working on the creation and execution of new and comprehensive strategies to reinforce disease prevention actions, which help to maintain the tranquility of the population.
He specified that these operations are focused especially on the mitigation of dengue, since climate changes may have an impact on the increase of the disease and that they are being carried out in conjunction with other institutions and the collaboration of all the staff of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP).
“We are focused, working together to achieve that this year 2024 dengue, COVID-19, and other communicable diseases and not, can be further reduced and be prepared for any eventuality that may arise in the country, to provide timely and effective responses that the Dominican population deserves, as other authorities of this ministry have done; we follow that line of continuous improvement to create the model health system, which President Luis Abinader so much longs for,” emphasized the head of Health, leading the usual weekly press conference.
In the same vein, Dr. Gina Estrella, director of Risk Management and Disaster Attention, reaffirmed the words of the minister by announcing the start of the new “Dengue Prevention Campaign 2024”, which will begin in the first weeks of February, with a first educational stage and then visits to the communities, which will open in the provinces where dengue has had the greatest proliferation such as: Gran Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo Norte, Santiago, San Cristóbal and Barahona. “This day will have a different theme, because it will have the participation of the communities, educational messages; virtual and physical, fumigation, cleaning and many other prevention actions that we are carrying out in conjunction with the Emergency Operations Center (COE), the Ministry of Education, Labor and Public Works, the National Health Service and each of the municipalities, all coordinated by the Dominican Municipal League,” said Dr. Estrella.
She also took the opportunity to reiterate that there are no cases of cholera in Villa Liberación, but that it is being monitored and the pipes continue to be regulated to ensure the quality of the water in the area.
COVID and dengue indicators
Dr. Ronald Skewes, director of Epidemiology, in presenting the COVID-19 and dengue indicators for Epidemiological Week 3 and 4 of this year, assured that the country is having a good management of both diseases.
“According to the most recent data, from the COVID-19 1,143 bulletin, 10,575 samples were processed, of which 666 cases were reported and three patients admitted for the disease. As for dengue, diffusions and lethality remain at 0 percent and 2,816 cases reported as suspicious from week 1 to week 3,” said the epidemiologist.
The meeting with the press was also attended by doctors Eddy Pérez Then, advisor to the MSP; José Antonio Matos, vice-minister of Quality Assurance; Juan Gerardo Mesa, director of Habilitation; Sergio Guzmán, president of the Dominican Society of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery; Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism; doctor Aida Lucía Vargas, director of Immunopreventable by Vaccines and Rachel Alabalak, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the DR.
Source: Presidencia.gob.do
