Dominican Republic
Originally published, August 21; updated, September 07, 2008
As luck would have it, newly sworn in DR Vice President Rafael Albuquerque was hospitalized on Sunday, August 17 with Dengue Fever, one day after his swearing-in ceremony. The acute viral infection, courtesy of the Dv (for Dengue virus) that put him down, led to a fever and a low platelet count, his doctors said the following day. Albuquerque was, however, showing no signs and symptoms of the potentially life-threatening Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF).
Initial reports about Albuquerque’s illness gave the impression that he would be released from the Corazones Unidos clinic on Thursday, August 21. However, a statement issued by the clinic on that day, by omitting to specify a date when Albuquerque would be released, fueled speculation that he would remain hospitalized for a while long.
The statement did reveal though that Albuquerque was recovering well and that he was in a stable condition, without fever.
Subsequently, the DR government’s Ministry of Public Health issued a nationwide epidemiological alert to deal with the Dengue outbreak. Thus, on Saturday, August 30, the ministry began a search and destroy program against the Dengue mosquito as Dengue cases continued to rise. (DominicanToday.com)
The prime target of the campaign was expected to be the communities located on the banks of the Ozama River, which have suffered the most during this outbreak.
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DENGUE IN THE DR
updated August 26
Dengue is common in the Caribbean, and at least 700 cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been registered in the Dominican Republic this year, resulting in (4) four deaths. Last year more than 25 people in the country died of the disease. (http://www.pr-inside.com/)
