North and Central America and Caribbean

Private medical facilities in Dominican Republic offer reasonable to very good standards of services.  However, other than primary care in public hospitals the public health service is not deemed to be adequate so you need fully comprehensive travel insurance in case you need to be medically evacuated in an emergency. Dentistry is adequate.  A good range of across the counter medicines is available, including some normally only available on prescription in the UK (usually generic brands).

Malaria is present within the Dominican Republic and there have been occasional outbreaks, mainly in the border regions with Haiti.  Rabies is also present, with 39 cases of the disease being reported in animals in 2007, and 95 cases in 2008.

Dengue Fever is common to Latin America and the Caribbean and can occur throughout the year.  There has been a marked increase in the number of reported cases of dengue in the Dominican Republic, including a number of deaths.   The highest number of cases in the Dominican Republic usually occurs in the hot season from May to November.  Dengue Fever is a viral disease spread to humans by mosquitoes.  Protective measures against mosquito bites are recommended.  There is no vaccine to prevent Dengue Fever, which has severe flu-like symptoms and can sometimes be fatal (Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever).  If you do fall ill you should seek immediate medical advice. 

In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 59,000 adults aged 15 or over in Dominican Republic were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 1.1% of the adult population. This compares to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%.  You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see HIV and AIDS.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Dominican Republic and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date.  For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the  NaTHNaC and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see Travel Health, Swine Flu and the UK Department of Health website.

Swine Flu

Measures for detection, including thermal imaging equipment, are in use at ports of entry.  There are no quarantine plans in place by the local health authorities as part of their planned approach to handling the virus.  The Public Health Ministry (Secretaria de Estado de Salud Publica y Asistencia Social) advises visitors with flu-like symptoms, or those having come into direct/indirect contact with anyone suspected of having the virus, to go to the nearest health facility or to call the Department of Epidemiology on telephone number (1) 809 686 9140. The Secretaria de Estado de Salud Publica y Asistencia Social website (Spanish only) has additional details.