Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic adopted an early warning protocol and is coordinating with international surveillance networks, while the country’s entry points are under permanent monitoring for possible threats from emerging viruses such as
Nipah, as well as influenza that affect several countries.
The Minister of
Public Health, Víctor Atallah, said in a note that these measures are a responsible prevention, with the aim of strengthening detection, notification, and rapid response to possible health threats, in compliance with the guidelines of the International Health Regulations.
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“Everything related to prevention is being done, not only with this virus, but for all viruses and the areas they may affect,” said Atallah.
He specified that when special alerts are issued worldwide, the country intensifies surveillance and control protocols both maritime and aerial, and assured that the Dominican Republic is out of danger, working constantly under a prevention and detection approach to viruses and diseases.
The Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen of high lethality, capable of being transmitted from animals to humans and between people. It belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family and can cause severe clinical conditions that primarily affect the respiratory and neurological systems, with the potential to generate outbreaks of high health impact.
In countries in South and Southeast Asia is where outbreaks have been recorded, mainly in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, and Singapore. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a priority pathogen with the risk of an international health emergency.
Fruit bats of the genus Pteropus can carry the virus without showing symptoms and facilitate its transmission to domestic animals and humans, added Public Health.
In the Americas, the reservoir of these bats is not found, meaning they do not inhabit the region. Among the main routes of infection are direct contact with infected animals, consumption of contaminated food, such as raw palm sap, and person-to-person transmission.
The incubation period ranges from 4 to 14 days, and the disease can rapidly progress to severe complications such as respiratory failure and acute encephalitis.
Currently, there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for the Nipah virus, so clinical management is based on intensive supportive care and control of complications.
