Leptospirosis cases surge 154% in Dominican Republic, deaths reach 19

Leptospirosis cases in the Dominican Republic have surged 154% during the first 31 epidemiological weeks of 2026, reaching 259 confirmed cases compared to 102 in the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Public Health's latest bulletin Source: elcaribedr. Deaths have also risen to 19, up from 10 in 2025 Source: hoydo. The incidence rate increased from 1.59 to 3.94 per 100,000 inhabitants Source: elcaribedr.

Affected areas

Puerto Plata leads with 32 cases, followed by Santo Domingo (25) and Santiago (22) Source: elcaribedr. The disease predominantly affects males aged 20–29, linked to occupational and environmental exposure Source: elcaribedr.

Other diseases

Dengue cases reached 245, a 34.6% increase from 182 last year, though authorities say it remains under control Source: diariolibree. Malaria cases dropped 82% to 127, concentrated in Azua and San Juan Source: diariolibree. The bulletin also reported 61 epidemiological alerts across 21 health directorates, mainly for febrile hemorrhagic illness, eruptive diseases, and meningitis Source: infobae.

Mortality indicators

Infant deaths fell to 1,090 from 1,165, a 6.4% reduction, with 83.2% occurring in neonates Source: diariolibree. Maternal deaths decreased 23% to 82, though 37 of these were Haitian nationals Source: hoydo.

Discrepancies

While elcaribedr and hoydo report the same leptospirosis figures, infobae notes that the majority of alerts relate to febrile hemorrhagic illness, predominantly dengue, whereas diariolibree emphasizes dengue is under control. These perspectives reflect differing emphases on the same data Source: infobae, diariolibree.