Santo Domingo – As Storm Franklin swept across the country, health experts called on municipalities and the National Health Service (SNS) on Thursday to stress the importance of keeping municipalities free of litter and keeping health centers safe. The supply is plentiful.
According to experts such as epidemiologists Clevy Pérez and Elliot Ceballos:
Health doctors say keeping streams and ravines clear of waste is important to the health of citizens.
They also said that if these measures are not taken, there may be an increase in illness following a similar phenomenon in the coming days.
“Strict epidemiological surveillance for dengue, leptospirosis, chikungubunya and acute diarrheal diseases must be in place, as must the necessary mechanisms in place so that our health centers have the supplies they need and the staff ready to work Medical and technologists. Interventions needed so that in this way health indicators can be controlled,” said Dr. Elliot Ceballos, a health practitioner.
Epidemiologist Clevy Pérez Sánchez highlighted that prior to the storm, Franklin had had a fairly active year for dengue, with a sharp increase in the disease (Epidemiology Week 30 This was a 22% increase compared to the same period last year, without accounting for disease underreporting).
“Rainfall can be a risk factor for infectious disease outbreaks. This is the case for diseases borne by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, such as dengue and malaria, as rainfall favors egg hatching and subsequent mosquito development”.
He also said other diseases linked to contaminated water and food were also on the rise and could increase after the rains, such as hepatitis A, cholera, salmonellosis and other infectious gastroenteritis.
The expert also noted that cases of leptospirosis are of particular interest because mice (and other mammals) can excrete leptospirosis-causing bacteria in their urine and contaminate water and food.
“It is necessary to carry out garbage collection in time to eliminate the breeding grounds of these rodents,” said the former president of the Dominican Society of Infectious Diseases.