14 people die of dengue fever in Dominican Republic

At least 14 people have died of dengue fever this year in the Dominican Republic, the health authorities said Wednesday.

Health Minister Nelson Rodriguez said 2,000 cases of dengue fever have been registered, 291 of which were the hemorrhagic kind.

He said the country could have more dengue cases this year than last year's 8,800. A total of 52 died of the disease last year.

Rodriguez attributed the increase of the cases to the drought affecting the country, which causes the appearance of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that harbor the virus.

Given the situation, the Health Ministry has expanded the prevention plan and raised the epidemic alert.

Source: Xinhua