Avellon Williams
DOMINICA REPUBLIC- As of Dec. 26, there were eight documented cases of cholera in the Dominican Republic, due to the fact that the suspects in the recent outbreak of the diarrheal disease had negative laboratory tests.
According to public health officials, they are still being watched for any new incidents.
A number of government entities maintain active interventions in the La Zurza sector in the National District since most cholera positives are found there. The sector hasn’t seen any new positives in the last week.
In the eight days that the Public Health mobile hospital has been working in that region, only four patients with diarrhoea have been reported, but all have tested negative, according to Jessie Suard, director of Health Area IV, which corresponds to La Zurza.
As a result, they are still conducting house-to-house visits to inform the public about the precautions to take to prevent a disease that causes diarrhea and stomach aches when consumed in contaminated food or water.
In the waters of the Isabela River, a tributary of the Ozama River, which borders various parts of the northern part of the National District, Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, was found. As of yet, no cases of the illness have been detected in other sectors.
Authorities have advised Isabela residents to refrain from using the river in an effort to prevent the disease from spreading. They have also asked residents of La Zurza not to use La Poza, a spa from which many community members obtain their drinking water, because there is no adequate distribution system.
Additionally to the eight confirmed cases of cholera, the Ministry of Public Health reported last week that it was monitoring six suspected cases, including diarrheal episodes in Los Guaricanos and Capotillo. The Ministry of Public Health’s director of Risk Management and Disaster Attention, Dr. Gina Estrella Ramia, reported on Dec. 26 that all of the cases tested negative for the illness.
