Carib Scope

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  • Public Health confirms 15 cases of dengue this week

    Public Health confirms 15 cases of dengue this week

    The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health has launched a scaled-up, multi-stakeholder national dengue prevention and control strategy, prioritizing high-incidence regions to curb transmission of the mosquito-borne viral disease. The comprehensive intervention framework integrates source reduction campaigns, targeted space fumigation, continuous epidemiological monitoring, proactive community case detection, and door-to-door public education, implemented in close partnership with public agencies, grassroots community groups, and private sector stakeholders.

    According to the official Week 40 2026 epidemiological bulletin, 15 new confirmed dengue cases were recorded in the preceding seven days, bringing the total cumulative caseload for the year to 415. Regional breakdowns show La Altagracia province bears the highest burden with 131 total cases, followed by La Romana at 37 and Puerto Plata at 33. Frontline response teams have concentrated enhanced operations in these high-burden zones, with targeted resources deployed specifically to the Higüey and Verón-Bávaro districts of La Altagracia to cut Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding sites and accelerate early identification of undiagnosed infections.

    Under the leadership of La Altagracia’s Provincial Health Director Wendy Castillo, a recent neighborhood fumigation drive covered 114 streets across four residential zones: Vista Hermosa, Cerro Lindo, Villa Palmera, and Brisa Duey, serving 342 households and an estimated 1,242 local residents. Complementary door-to-door outreach teams visited an additional 433 homes, where they removed 96 confirmed mosquito breeding sites from residential water storage tanks, and inspected a total of 355 tanks, 37 of which were found to harbor Aedes larvae. Teams distributed targeted preventative supplies including BTI and Abate larvicides, liquid chlorine for water purification, tank covers, and bed mosquito nets to at-risk households.

    For epidemiological surveillance, medical teams carried out active case searches across health facilities and community spaces in Higüey, Anamuya, and Verón. At the Anamuya Primary Care Unit, clinicians identified 10 individuals presenting with fever and headache, 8 of whom were children, and collected diagnostic samples for laboratory testing. Response teams also conducted home visits around the residences of 4 previously confirmed dengue cases in Villa Cerro, delivering targeted health guidance to nearby households to prevent secondary transmission.

    To strengthen the national health system’s capacity for rapid response, the Ministry of Public Health has delivered specialized training for hospital epidemiologists and National Health Service staff covering timely mandatory case notification, standardized sample collection protocols, accurate epidemiological data recording, and proper completion of official surveillance forms, to close gaps in case detection, reporting, and post-diagnosis follow-up.

    The cross-sector coordination component of the strategy has brought together local municipal authorities, emergency response agencies, schools and educational institutions, community associations, and representatives from the tourism and commercial sectors. During a recent Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Group (GASH) meeting held in Verón-Punta Cana, participants aligned on joint actions to remediate illegal waste dumps and informal landfills that serve as unregulated mosquito breeding sites, boost community engagement in prevention efforts, and roll out dengue protection protocols across local tourist accommodations.

    The Ministry has issued clear public guidance for residents to take personal protective action: keep all water storage containers covered and regularly cleaned, flip over any outdoor receptacles that can collect standing rainwater, and discard unused items that could act as potential mosquito breeding habitats. Health officials also advise members of the public to avoid self-medicating if they develop a fever, and to seek immediate care at a formal health facility. A public health warning notes that severe symptoms including persistent abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, nose or gum bleeding, unusual drowsiness, and sudden irritability are critical red flags that require urgent emergency medical attention to prevent life-threatening dengue complications.

    Health authorities emphasize that while the Dominican Republic is classified as a region with relatively high dengue incidence across the Americas, its current national cumulative case rate of 4.89 per 100,000 residents is 95% lower than the average incidence rate for the wider Americas region. The latest joint data from the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization records 1.7 million total suspected dengue cases across the Americas, with far higher transmission rates reported across multiple South American and Caribbean nations. For additional public health updates, readers can access DominicanScope’s dedicated health news section.

  • Grenada Follows Antigua and Barbuda in Recruiting Healthcare Workers from Ghana

    Grenada Follows Antigua and Barbuda in Recruiting Healthcare Workers from Ghana

    On October 13, a cohort of 60 Ghanaian medical personnel including registered nurses, practicing doctors, and allied health support staff landed in Grenada to join the island nation’s public health workforce, following a formal three-day onboarding period that concluded with an official government welcome ceremony. This deployment falls under Ghana’s national Labour Export Programme, a bilateral initiative designed to create formal overseas employment pathways for skilled Ghanaian professionals while deepening diplomatic and people-to-people ties with partner nations across the Caribbean. The move comes roughly 12 months after neighboring Antigua and Barbuda onboarded over 100 Ghanaian healthcare staff to address its own domestic medical staffing gaps, marking a growing trend of Caribbean small island states leveraging Ghana’s robust pool of trained health workers to reinforce local care capacity. During the official welcome event, Ghana’s Minister of Labour and Employment Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum emphasized that the two-year placement structure is structured to deliver mutual benefits: participating Ghanaian medical staff will gain international clinical experience to advance their professional trajectories, while Grenada’s health system will see immediate improvements in care access and service delivery for local communities. Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell extended a warm public acknowledgement to Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama for facilitating the partnership, and invited the newly arrived workers to integrate fully into local life, framing Grenada as their new home. Mitchell noted that while the initial contract term is set at two years, his administration hopes many of the skilled professionals will choose to extend their tenure long-term to support sustained development of the island’s health infrastructure.

  • Geen vogelgriep vastgesteld bij onderzochte personen; H5N1 nog niet bevestigd

    Geen vogelgriep vastgesteld bij onderzochte personen; H5N1 nog niet bevestigd

    On Thursday, Suriname’s Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Labour André Misiekaba delivered a formal update on the country’s ongoing avian influenza situation during a parliamentary session in De Nationale Assemblée (DNA), the nation’s legislative body. As of October 19, all human test samples collected from individuals with potential exposure to infected poultry have returned negative results for the Influenza A H5 strain, no confirmed cases of bird flu in the general population have been recorded to date.
    The first indication of unusual poultry mortality emerged on September 15, when the veterinary department under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV) received an official report of abnormally high death rates at a local commercial poultry farm. Subsequent testing by the Central Laboratory of the Public Health Bureau (BOG) on September 18 confirmed the presence of Influenza A H5 in poultry specimens from the affected site. Minister Misiekaba clarified that health authorities have not yet verified whether the detected H5 strain is the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype, and full genomic sequencing to trace the virus’s origin and determine its pathogenicity level is currently underway at specialized reference laboratories in the United States and Brazil, with final results set to be released immediately upon completion.
    Following the initial outbreak alert, public health and agricultural teams launched coordinated response operations: all confirmed infected sites, plus secondary locations that had received poultry transferred from the index farm, were subjected to full depopulation and thorough disinfection protocols. Surveillance zones were first established in a 3-kilometer radius around the original affected farm, before being expanded to a 7-kilometer perimeter to monitor for potential unobserved transmission. To date, no evidence of further virus spread beyond the initial infected commercial operation has been documented, a development Misiekaba described as a positive sign, though he emphasized that the public health risk has not been fully eliminated.
    The BOG has been conducting active medical monitoring for all farm staff, field veterinarians and other personnel who had close contact with infected poultry, carcasses or contaminated materials, with regular testing for symptoms including fever, cough, breathing difficulties and eye inflammation. All exposed personnel have been provided with full personal protective equipment and received formal training on proper safety protocols. Misiekaba stressed that thoroughly cooked poultry meat and fully prepared eggs remain completely safe for human consumption, though he advised household consumers to maintain strict kitchen hygiene practices and verify the certified source of all poultry products they purchase. Local poultry farmers have been formally urged to immediately report any unusual illness or unexpected mortality in their flocks, and to refrain from moving or selling any visibly sick birds. The minister reassured the public that there is no cause for widespread panic at this stage, but consistent, targeted vigilance from all stakeholders remains critical to containing the outbreak.

  • An act of genocide that claims lives every day

    An act of genocide that claims lives every day

    At the 22nd Forum of Cuban Civil Society against the Blockade held on October 23, 2026, health and civil society officials delivered a damning assessment of the six-decade U.S.-imposed economic, commercial, and financial embargo on Cuba, framing the long-running policy as a genocidal, increasingly aggressive campaign designed to suffocate the entire Caribbean nation. For generations, Cuba’s widely celebrated National Health System, once a regional benchmark for equitable, high-quality care, has been forced to operate under relentless external pressure that has escalated into an unprecedentedly inhumane phase in recent years, with harms felt daily in clinics, hospital wards, and ordinary Cuban households across the country.

    José Armando Arronte, head of the International Organizations Department at Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), outlined cascading, life-threatening strains on the system compounded by a deliberate U.S.-driven “energy strangulation” campaign and the unjust, politically motivated designation of Cuba as a purported state sponsor of terrorism. These false pretexts have pushed the Cuban population, and its health infrastructure in particular, to breaking point. Current data shows more than 100,000 Cuban patients are stuck on surgical waiting lists, 12,000 of whom are children, forcing Minsap to ration care by prioritizing only oncological and life-saving emergency procedures to avoid preventable premature deaths. An additional 39,750 pregnant women cannot access timely diagnostic ultrasounds, while 67,000 infants under one year old face disrupted immunization schedules, as broken supply chains and restrictions make it impossible to maintain the strict temperature-controlled “cold chain” required to safely transport and store vaccines across all Cuban regions. The country’s historic infant mortality rate, which for years held steady below 5 per 1,000 live births, rose to 9.6 by the end of 2025 — a figure that remains comparatively low for the Latin American and Caribbean region, but one that officials stress does not reflect the true capacity of Cuba’s world-class medical professionals or the standard the national system was designed to deliver.

    The blockade’s stranglehold on medical supplies and equipment has gutted care for some of Cuba’s most vulnerable patient groups. Childhood cancer survival rates have plummeted, as care teams are forced to rely on less effective second- and third-line treatments when first-line therapies are unavailable. Roughly 16,000 patients currently rely on radiotherapy, 12,400 are undergoing chemotherapy, and 3,000 depend on regular hemodialysis to survive, yet only 30% of Cuba’s list of essential medicines is reliably in stock. Local pharmacies face crippling shortages of insulin, common antihypertensives, and core diagnostic agents. State medical supply enterprise MediCuba S.A. confirmed that 100 shipping containers bound for Cuba, including 10 holding life-sustaining hemodialysis supplies such as intravenous lines, fistula needles, and dialyzers, are currently being detained in Jamaican ports, as the French shipping company contracted to move the goods refuses to complete delivery out of fear of harsh U.S. secondary sanctions that penalize firms doing business with Cuba. Medical equipment stockpiles have also suffered catastrophic deterioration: just 32 of Cuba’s 68 CT scanners remain functional, representing a 41% operational rate; only 4 of the country’s 9 angiographic systems are in working order; just 4 of 21 MRI machines can be used for patient care; and the technical availability rate of linear accelerators for radiotherapy dropped to 33.3% by 2025. Forum participants repeatedly emphasized that upholding the fundamental human right to health must always take precedence over narrow political or economic geopolitical interests.

    Maternal and child health services have been disproportionately impacted by the blockade’s restrictions, according to Dr. Dayana Couto, president of the Cuban Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Shortages of medications designed to prevent postpartum hemorrhage — the leading cause of maternal mortality in Cuba — have driven sharp rises in severe bleeding cases, maternal anemia, and the need for emergency blood transfusions and life-saving interventions. Pregnant women routinely face barriers to accessing ultrasounds, genetic testing, and specialized prenatal care, delaying early detection of infectious diseases and pregnancy complications that would otherwise be caught and treated quickly. In extreme emergency scenarios, frontline medical staff have even been forced to use the light from personal mobile phones to complete deliveries or cesarean sections, when power cuts and oxygen supply outages leave operating rooms without adequate lighting. Widespread shortages of contraceptives, condoms, and infertility treatments have also upended the family planning goals of countless Cuban individuals, couples, and households.

    Osmayda Hernández Beleño, a national secretariat member of the Federation of Cuban Women, noted that the blockade’s harms do not fall on abstract government structures, but directly on ordinary people, with women bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. Women across Cuba are now tasked with navigating daily hurdles to secure stored food, safe household drinking water, and care for children, adolescents, elderly relatives, sick household members, and people with disabilities, all while juggling paid work and rearranging family schedules to compensate for unstable basic public services. These endless, uncompensated domestic demands cut into women’s rest and personal time, and limit their ability to fully participate in formal employment, education, social and community life, and formal decision-making spaces — even after decades of targeted policy progress that had secured exceptional gender equity outcomes across Cuban society.

    Norma Goicochea, president of the Cuban United Nations Association, added that the decades-long blockade violates the Cuban people’s fundamental right to self-determination by disregarding their sovereign, democratically expressed choice of national political and social system. The policy also violates longstanding global principles of free trade and freedom of navigation, a reality underscored by the detention of more than 7,000 Cuba-bound shipping containers in ports across every region of the world. Forum participants concluded that the blockade remains the single largest obstacle to Cuba’s broader economic and social development, and directly undermines the country’s ability to meet all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “The Cuban people show extraordinary resilience and endurance every single day, but this genocidal blockade claims preventable lives on a daily basis,” forum representatives stated in a joint closing denunciation.

  • WHO Warns Ebola Outbreak Is Growing “More Complex” as Nigeria Confirms First Case

    WHO Warns Ebola Outbreak Is Growing “More Complex” as Nigeria Confirms First Case

    In a development that has deepened public health concerns across the African continent, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the months-long Ebola outbreak originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is growing increasingly complicated, with confirmed cases now detected in both East and West Africa.

    During a Thursday virtual media briefing, Mohamed Janabi, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, laid out the grim new reality facing frontline health responders: “We are facing a more complex outbreak landscape.”

    The latest turning point came Tuesday, when Nigeria confirmed its first documented case of the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, making it the fourth African nation impacted by the outbreak that was first detected in DRC in mid-May. As the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria’s confirmation of an active case marks a significant escalation of the crisis. Currently, DRC, Kenya, and Nigeria all have active cases of the strain, while Uganda, which recorded cases earlier in 2026, was officially declared Ebola-free in August.

    The index patient in Nigeria is a Ugandan-born woman married to a Swiss diplomat based in the Nigerian capital Abuja. To date, conflicting accounts have emerged about the location where she contracted the virus, leaving epidemiologists still scrambling to pinpoint the source of her infection.

    Ugandan authorities say the woman traveled to eastern DRC before passing through Uganda en route to Nigeria. However, the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have yet to receive verified evidence confirming her trip to DRC. A statement from the Swiss government claims the woman was infected during travel within Uganda, a claim that Ugandan officials have forcefully rejected. “It is preposterous,” said Ugandan government spokesperson Alan Kasujja, to link Uganda to the case solely because the patient took a holiday in the country.

    Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at Africa CDC, revealed one key investigative lead: both the Nigerian index patient and Kenya’s first confirmed case departed from Entebbe International Airport on October 3. Officials are now probing whether the two individuals had any contact during their time at the airport that could explain the cross-country spread. WHO emergency response manager Patrick Otim emphasized that the origin of the Nigerian patient’s infection remains undetermined. Investigators are also reviewing which Abuja healthcare facilities the patient visited between the onset of her symptoms and her hospitalization 48 hours later, a critical step to identify potential secondary exposures.

    As of this update, Nigerian health officials are actively monitoring 44 close contacts of the index patient, with Mankoula confirming that additional contacts have been identified in recent days. Earlier this month, Kenya confirmed its first case of the outbreak, and national health authorities announced they have successfully traced all 135 known contacts of that patient.

    According to DRC’s national health authorities, this outbreak is already the deadliest Ebola event in the country’s history. Since the first cases were detected in May, more than 9,000 people have tested positive for the virus, and over 4,000 have died, pushing the case fatality rate in DRC close to 50 percent. Africa CDC has already labeled the outbreak an “extremely serious threat” to regional public health. Before being declared Ebola-free in August, Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, 15 of which were imported from DRC, and two deaths linked to the virus.

  • Pierre pays tribute to veteran physician brothers

    Pierre pays tribute to veteran physician brothers

    The Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia is grieving the loss of two pioneering medical specialists, brothers Dr Peter Archer Wilwyn St Rose and Dr St George Bennett Richardson St Rose, whose decades of dedicated service reshaped the country’s healthcare landscape. Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has publicly honored the pair’s far-reaching contributions, describing their work building up the country’s specialist medical care system as impossible to measure in value.

    In an official statement released Thursday, Pierre extended heartfelt condolences to the brothers’ families, fellow medical staff, friends, and the entire Saint Lucian medical community. “Saint Lucia has lost two specialist physicians who contributed significantly to healthcare development over several decades,” the prime minister said.

    The elder brother, Dr P.A.W. St Rose, a respected consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, passed away on October 3, 2026, at the age of 90. His younger sibling Dr Richardson St Rose, a leading consultant orthopaedic, spinal and trauma surgeon, died just eight days later on October 11, at 80 years old.

    Dr P.A.W. St Rose launched his medical career in Saint Lucia back in 1967, taking on a post as a district medical officer in the coastal town of Soufrière. He later transitioned to a role in the Accident and Emergency Department at Victoria Hospital, the island nation’s main public healthcare facility. After completing advanced specialist training in the United Kingdom, he returned to Saint Lucia in 1973, and went on to provide top-tier obstetric and gynaecological care to generations of patients until his retirement.

    Beyond his direct clinical work, Dr P.A.W. St Rose supported countless women through pregnancy and childbirth, expanded access to critical reproductive health services via Family Planning Clinics across Castries, and mentored a new generation of physicians both in Saint Lucia and at training programs abroad. He also contributed to national health governance, serving on the Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Council, the national Nursing Council, and multiple other official health committees.

    Dr Richardson St Rose followed a similar path of service, returning to his home country of Saint Lucia in 1975 after completing specialist training in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago. He took on key leadership roles as chief consultant orthopaedic surgeon for the Ministry of Health and senior surgeon at Victoria Hospital. His clinical work was instrumental in building Saint Lucia’s domestic capacity to treat life-threatening traumatic injuries and complex conditions affecting bones, joints, and the spine, eliminating the need for many patients to travel abroad for urgent care. As a visiting specialist at St Jude Hospital, he brought specialized care directly to patients in the southern region of the island, reducing travel barriers for low-income and rural communities. He also practiced at Tapion Hospital from 1997 through 2023, and ran a successful private specialist practice on Castries’ Chaussee Road for many years.

    Across their combined six decades of service, the two brother physicians worked across both the public and private healthcare sectors to build, expand, and sustain the specialized medical services that Saint Lucians rely on today. Their legacy of patient-centered care, medical education, and system-building will continue to benefit the people of Saint Lucia for generations to come.

  • Peer Vybz training empowers young people to resist peer pressure

    Peer Vybz training empowers young people to resist peer pressure

    In a proactive new push to address youth substance use, Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition has rolled out the Peer Vybz training initiative, a community-centered program that puts young people in the driver’s seat of prevention efforts. Targeting teens aged 13 to 15, the initiative is designed to equip adolescents with the tools to make healthy, informed choices for themselves, while empowering them to spread anti-substance-use messages to their peers across schools and local neighborhoods.

    Spearheaded by the Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat (SAACS), the program was developed directly in response to feedback from young people across the island’s secondary school system. SAACS Programme Assistant Barry Modeste explained that teens consistently voiced a desire to lead prevention conversations among their own age groups, rather than receiving messages exclusively from adult leaders. This direct youth input shaped the entire framework of the Peer Vybz initiative, which centers youth autonomy to reach groups that adult educators and public health workers often cannot access.

    “Young people move through social spaces – both formal and informal – that adults simply don’t have entry to,” Modeste noted. “That gives them a unique opportunity to be a consistent, trusted voice that encourages their peers to avoid alcohol and drug use.” Beyond immediate prevention, the initiative also delivers long-term public health benefits: by curbing youth substance use, the program will reduce rates of non-communicable diseases later in life, preserve the potential of Saint Lucia’s young generation, and lay the groundwork for healthier, more thriving communities across the country, he added.

    The training curriculum is structured around three core pillars that build skills incrementally for participants. The first pillar focuses on critical thinking and decision-making under pressure, teaching teens how to navigate unwanted pressure to use alcohol or drugs when approached by peers. The second pillar is targeted health education, including deep dives into deceptive marketing tactics the tobacco industry uses to target and recruit young consumers. The third and final pillar, called “empower”, focuses on building participant confidence and leadership skills to help them effectively influence their peers toward healthier choices.

    Training sessions combine interactive workshops, hands-on activities, and skills-building exercises led by local well-known personalities including Kiedel Sonny and Kendall Eugene, also known as Scady Dot P. To date, the ministry has hosted training sessions in multiple communities across Saint Lucia, including Vieux-Fort, Dennery and Babonneau.

    Participant feedback on the initiative has been overwhelmingly positive. Miandi Bailey, one of the teens who completed the training, said the program gave her valuable preparation to guide her peers toward better decisions. “I learnt a lot from it, and I think it will help me in the future to encourage my peers to do better and to be better people and leaders,” Bailey shared. “When bad influences come my way now, I know how to brush past them and do better.”

  • Environmental Health Officer Calma Louis urges food safety vigilance ahead of 2026 World Creole Music Festival

    Environmental Health Officer Calma Louis urges food safety vigilance ahead of 2026 World Creole Music Festival

    As the Caribbean island of Dominica gears up to host thousands of visitors and locals for the iconic World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) and a slate of accompanying seasonal events, a top public health official is emphasizing that collective action is the key to keeping festival-goers safe from preventable foodborne illnesses.

    At a pre-event press conference for the festival, Calma Louis, Senior Environmental Health Officer for the country, delivered a clear call to action to both food vendors working the event and attending consumers, framing food safety as a shared obligation rather than a one-sided regulatory check.

    “Food safety is not simply a requirement of inspection; it is a shared responsibility and commitment to protecting the health of everyone who purchases and consumes food,” Louis told reporters and event organizers.

    Louis opened her remarks by recognizing the consistent efforts of long-standing, established vendors who already adhere to strict public health protocols. She highlighted core practices that have proven to reduce contamination risk: maintaining sanitized food preparation spaces, following evidence-based hand hygiene rules, keeping raw and prepared food properly shielded from contaminants, and storing and holding food at regulated safe temperatures. When paired with mandatory, up-to-date certification for all food handlers, these routine practices create a safe foundation for large-scale gatherings where hundreds of people can eat and celebrate without unnecessary health risks, she explained.

    For first-time vendors joining the regional festival circuit, Louis encouraged new operators to learn from the experience of seasoned vendors and fully embrace the existing food safety standards set for the event. She also highlighted ongoing support available to all vendors through the public health department, including structured education and training sessions for food handlers. These sessions are designed to walk vendors through their regulatory obligations, build practical knowledge of safe food preparation and serving practices, and help them complete required certification processes.

    To ensure compliance throughout the run of the WCMF and connected events, Louis confirmed that environmental health officers will carry out systematic, frequent inspections across all vendor sites. Inspectors will examine key areas including personal hygiene of staff, food protection measures, temperature compliance, availability of functional handwashing infrastructure, proper waste disposal practices, and the validity of all food handler certifications.

    Louis stressed that inspection teams will approach their work with a collaborative, supportive mindset, working directly with vendors to address any identified concerns rather than issuing punitive measures for minor, unintentional oversights.

    Beyond vendor responsibilities, Louis also issued guidance for consumers attending the events, urging attendees to proactively pay attention to how vendors prepare, store, and serve food. She recommended festival-goers intentionally select vendors who visibly maintain good hygiene practices and keep all food items properly covered when not being served.

    “If food does not look or appear to have been handled safely, make the safe choice. Your health is worth it,” Louis advised.

    Closing her appeal, Louis emphasized that the shared goal of all stakeholders should be to ensure Dominica’s 2024 festival celebrations leave only positive, safe memories for attendees. “To our vendors, keep up the good work. To our new vendors, rise to the standards,” she said, repeating her call for consumers to make intentional, safe choices and join the effort to celebrate safely.

  • Public Health intensifies dengue prevention efforts in La Altagracia and across Dominican Republic

    Public Health intensifies dengue prevention efforts in La Altagracia and across Dominican Republic

    Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – The country’s Ministry of Public Health has rolled out a scaled-up, targeted national dengue mitigation campaign, prioritizing high-burden provinces to curb transmission before the virus spreads further across local communities. The multi-pronged intervention strategy centers on four core pillars: proactive elimination of Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding sites, geographically targeted fumigation operations, real-time epidemiological tracking, and hyper-local door-to-door community education drives. The latest Week 40 official epidemiological bulletin confirms 15 newly verified dengue cases recorded in the preceding seven days, pushing the cumulative 2026 national case count to 415. Regional case distribution data shows La Altagracia province leading the tally with 131 confirmed infections, trailed by La Romana with 37 cases and Puerto Plata with 33. On-the-ground operations in La Altagracia have already delivered tangible results: health task forces deployed across the densely populated hubs of Higüey and Verón-Bávaro completed fumigation runs and community engagement sessions that reached 342 residential households and 1,242 local residents. During door-to-door visits, inspection teams assessed household water storage systems, eradicated 96 active mosquito breeding locations, and distributed free public health supplies including larvicide treatments, water purification chlorine sachets, sealed tank covers, and insecticide-treated bed nets. Beyond vector control measures, health officials are ramping up active case detection protocols to identify unreported infections early, conducting regular health check-ins for all confirmed dengue patients, and rolling out specialized training for frontline medical staff to streamline timely case reporting and post-diagnosis care follow-up. To maximize campaign reach, the Ministry of Public Health is forging cross-sector coordination partnerships with local municipal administrations, grassroots community organizations, K-12 and higher education institutions, and tourism industry operators, a key stakeholder group given the high volume of international visitors in dengue hotspots. Health authorities have also issued clear, actionable guidance for Dominican residents: all community members are advised to keep all domestic water storage containers fully sealed, drain any accumulated standing water on their properties, and discard unused outdoor items that can collect rainwater and serve as unplanned mosquito breeding grounds. The public is further instructed to avoid self-medication if they develop a sudden fever, and to seek immediate professional medical attention if they experience high-risk dengue warning symptoms including severe abdominal cramping, repeated unresolving vomiting, unexplained bleeding, drowsiness, or unusual irritability. Despite the ongoing prevention push, ministry officials emphasized that the Dominican Republic still maintains one of the lowest dengue incidence rates across the Caribbean and Latin American region, with a cumulative 2026 rate of just 4.89 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

  • 2025 Annual Statistical Report : Everything you need to know about the health situation in Haiti

    2025 Annual Statistical Report : Everything you need to know about the health situation in Haiti

    Against a backdrop of persistent insecurity, widespread internal population displacement, and crippling budget shortfalls, Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) has published its 2025 Annual Statistical Report, a comprehensive data-driven resource designed to map the nation’s current public health landscape and steer evidence-based decision-making across the sector.

    Coordinated by the MSPP’s Studies and Programming Unit (UEP), the 123-page report aggregates granular data across five critical domains: the general health status of Haiti’s population, barriers and access to routine and emergency care, prevalence and outcomes for priority public health diseases, the volume and scope of health services delivered nationwide, and an inventory of the sector’s human, material, and financial resources. Unlike generic health overviews, the document is structured to not only quantify incremental progress made over the past year but also to highlight unaddressed gaps and systemic challenges that demand immediate policy attention, enabling stakeholders to align national health priorities with on-the-ground needs.

    Far beyond a static collection of numbers, the report functions as a foundational planning and oversight tool for a broad range of actors, from local Haitian health authorities to international technical and financial partners, academic researchers, and non-governmental organizations working in the country. By centralizing standardized, publicly available health data, it supports more equitable and efficient allocation of limited resources, enables rigorous evaluation of ongoing public health interventions, and strengthens transparency and accountability across the Haitian health system—ultimately working toward the report’s core goal of delivering sustainable improvements in both the quality of health care and equitable access to services for all Haitian people.

    The full report, published in French, is available for public download via the official link provided: https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Rapport-Statistique-MSPP-2025_web.pdf