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Public Health Minister Victor Atallah traveled to San Francisco, California to present the Dominican Republic’s comprehensive national strategy against dengue at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Convention 2025. The country is reporting a dramatic reduction in cases and zero deaths so far in 2025. Health Minister Víctor Atallah delivered the presentation, marking the first time a Dominican government minister has participated in the prestigious convention. Atallah detailed how a combination of prevention, control, and widespread educational campaigns led to an over 80% drop in case incidence and effectively eliminated dengue-related fatalities this year. The need for a robust response became evident in early 2024 following a significant surge in cases. This motivated the design and implementation of the National Plan for Dengue Prevention, Control, and Education, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health in coordination with the Presidency and other government sectors. The results, presented by Minister Atallah, are striking:• Cases reduced 80.4% (2024): Between April and December 2024, cases dropped from 2,943 (in 2023) to just 578.• Deaths fall 81.2% (2024): Fatalities were reduced from 16 (in 2023) to 3 in 2024.• Zero deaths in 2025 (to date): Cases between epidemiological weeks 1 and 40 in 2025 fell to a mere 233, with no registered deaths. The plan, launched in March 2024, was structured around three core pillars: prevention, control, and education. A crucial element of its success was the community-based approach, ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of interventions. Minister Víctor Atallah: “The combination of education, control, and citizen participation was instrumental in reducing deaths from the disease.” Despite global projections that 2024 would be a severe year for dengue, the Dominican Republic stood out as the country with the lowest incidence of dengue in the Americas region. This was achieved through:• Inter-sectoral coordination: High-level political support, increased budgetary allocation, and coordinated action across public and private sectors.• Widespread campaigns: The communication campaign, “Let’s Beat Dengue!” under the slogan “Eliminate, Clean, and Cover,” mobilized citizens.•Intense intervention: From April to December 2024, authorities conducted:24,784 fumigation sessions.Eliminated 315,502 breeding sites.Intervened in 8,325 sectors and visited over one million homes, impacting 1.59 million people.Distributed over 240,000 supplies, including chlorine, tank covers, and mosquito nets. Minister Atallah stressed that preventative measures and continued community involvement will remain key to sustaining these impressive results moving forward. A functional medicine practicing physician, Atallah was appointed to Minister of Public Health in January 2024 and since then has worked intensely on instituting preventive health programs. Read more in Spanish:Diario Libre 4 November 2025
