Domincan Republic Health News Illiteracy high in frontier areas According to the results of the final results of the 1993 Population and Housing census, in the Dominican Republic 640,989 male and 676,108 females over five years old do not know how to read or write. These are at least five years old. This represents 21% of the total population. . The cities with the least number of illiterates are Santo Domingo with 12%, La Romana, San Pedro and Santiago with 16.3%, and 17.06% and 18%. Public school children suffer from anemia The Ministry of Public Health said that 30-40% of public school children suffer from anemia. The director general of the nutrition department of the Ministry, Matilde Vasquez said that the Ministry is considering programs that would distribute iron supplements to children. Also considered is supplementing flour used to prepare bread. Study shows that majority of Dominicans are poor A recent study by the Oficina Nacional de Planificación concludes that 60% of the Dominican population lives in poverty. This contrasts with 47% of the population in 1980. More than 8 million people live in the Dominican Republic. Some 1,619,399 persons were found to be living in extreme poverty, while 4,649,502 barely surpassed this level. Furthermore, the study shows that poverty is concentrated mainly along the frontier, and in El Seibo, where a large number of Haitian sugar cane cutters have migrated. It was carried out to help the Dominican government determine the priority areas for social expenditures. The provinces with the highest income per capita are National District (Santo Domingo), La Romana, Santiago, San Pedro de Macorís, Monseñor Nouel (Bonao), Puerto Plata and Peravia (Baní). Child mortality is high Dr. Pedro Castellanos, representative of the Panamerican Health Organization in the Dominican Republic, said that the child mortality rate in the Dominican Republic is relatively high, 43-47 children per 1,000 births. ?????Some 200 mothers die per 1,000 births, according to a report in Hoy. Causes of death The National Director of Epidemiology, Elizabeth Gómez, said that chronic degenerative diseases, motor vehicle accidents, cirrhosis, acute repiratory diseases, intestinal infections, diabetes, wounds and nutritional illnesses are the principal causes of death. Car accidents are the principal cause of early death in the adult population, first among men and third among women. High child mortality rate The Dominican Republic has one of the highest child mortality rates in Latin America, according to UNICEF statistics. In the Dominican Republic, 56 children of every 1,000 die before reaching the age of five. The life expectancy age in the Dominican Republic is 73 years, according to statistics of UNICEF in its annual report issued today in Paris. Only Bolivia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti and Peru have child mortality rates equal or lower to that of the Dominican Republic in the region. Haitians medical emergencies swamp local hospitals The president of the Dominican Medical Association said that public hospitals, and especially those in the frontier area, are hard pressed and unable to provide adequate services as there is a steady flow of emergency patients coming in from Haiti. Dr. Eusebio Garrido said that this situation has to be addressed 9/7/98 Nationwide dengue prevention campaign The Ministry of Public Health has initiated a nationwide dengue prevention campaign. The Society of Pediatrics reports there have been almost 500 reported cases of dengue. The Ministry of Public Health says that Dominicans inadvertently have breeding areas in their homes and has alerted Dominicans to become aware of any possible water storage areas that could serve as breeding area. Dengue viruses are transmitted by humans by mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti, a species that is well adapted to life in tropical urban environments. Unlike most malaria vectors, this species preferentially feeds on humans during the day, frequently enters homes to rest and feed, and breeds in water that is stored or collects around human dwellings. As a result, A. aegypti has invaded urban, suburban and rural settings throughout many parts of the tropics. There is no protective vaccine for dengue, so travelers must rely on preventing mosquito bites to combat infection. Anyone suspected of being infected with dengue, especially with haemorrhagic manifestations, should seek medical assistance immediately. If untreated or inappropriately treated, DHF and DSS have a high case fatality rate. Appropriate clinical management, in turn, reduces the rate to under 5%. |
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MEDICAL FACTS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC |
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1998 FACTS FROM DR ONE |
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