Dominican Republic at low risk of YF outbreak

Infectious disease specialist Jesús Feris Iglesias has stated that the conditions for an outbreak of yellow fever (YF) in the Dominican Republic (DR) are not favourable. The absence of environmental factors conducive to the proliferation of the virus that causes the disease renders the likelihood of an outbreak of endemic YF epidemics low, in contrast to the situations observed in Brazil, Ecuador, and certain countries within the Amazonian region. Furthermore, it should be noted that the DR has implemented a vaccination programme for those entering or returning from countries experiencing YF virus circulation. Feris Iglesias’s statements are a response to a recently published article by virologist Robert Paulino, titled A new yellow fever epidemic in 2025? Factors that worry experts. In this article, the expert highlights that, in 2025, there are still concerns about the potential resurgence of yellow fever in Latin America, attributable to several factors that could lead to an increase in cases in the region, including accelerated urbanization and deforestation. These factors generate environments suitable for the proliferation of mosquito vectors. In this regard, Feris Iglesias has emphasised that the absence of the ‘monkey-human-mosquito-human’ contagion cycle mitigates the risk of YF in the DR, given that intra-human transmission is currently regarded as improbable.