Deaths Dominican Republic Dr. Juan Rivera

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Recent visitor deaths at various resorts in the Dominican Republic have garnered worldwide attention. The deaths have occurred in different cities -such as La Romana and Punta Cana- and hotels, for various reasons but with one common factor: they are tourists, mostly from the United States.

From the summer of 2018 to date, more than 11 deaths have been reported in different circumstances and from different causes. Several of the relatives of the deceased indicate that the victims had consumed alcohol from the minibar before falling ill. These statements have led to the fact that even the Hard Rock in Punta Cana has decided not to serve more alcoholic beverages in their rooms through said means, according to spokesmen in June.

Given these reports, People en Español decided to consult Dr. Juan Rivera to ask for his opinion on the matter. Interestingly, the cardiologist, writer and television figure born in Puerto Rico granted this interview from the aforementioned Caribbean island, where he vacationed with his family.

There is talk of people who became ill, and later died, after consuming alcohol from the minibar. Some believe that alcohol could be adulterated. Is this type of substance so dangerous? Can you kill us?

Yes. Definitely, adulterated alcohol, if we're talking about that being the cause, which I think is probably the cause, can definitely be lethal. Specifically one of the possible causes is [methanol] (methyl alcohol). It is an alcohol that we humans are not really supposed to have in our bodies. We do not tolerate it … many organs affect us and people can die quickly.

How can we identify if a drink has been adulterated? What are the symptoms?

It is interesting. I don't think that someone is putting something on it. It is that in the process of when alcohol is distilled, it is a complete process to arrive at a final product. There is a process that is not taking place [as it should be] to get a less expensive product. There, these alcohols that can be harmful to us humans like methanol are not eliminated. Substances that can be bad or toxic remain. Usually when you smell alcohol, if you have methanol for example, you tend to have a more fruity smell. The color of alcohol when burned changes is also different.

How can we protect ourselves and avoid an adulterated drink? Recall that such incidents have also been reported in Mexico, especially in Tulum and Cancun

I think it is best to drink beverages that are much more difficult to adulterate. For example beer is much more difficult to adulterate and one can tell the difference. And the wine too. One thing you should do is try to avoid gin, vodka, or whiskey, which are the alcohols that have to go through that complete distillation process.

Some of the causes of death have been identified as “respiratory failure”. What happens when we are told that someone died in this way?

There are many things that can lead to respiratory failure. You can have a pulmonary embolism and it leads to respiratory failure. You may have pneumonia and you may have respiratory failure. So when they tell you that someone died of respiratory failure it is something very unspecific that really does not help us as much to try to identify what is causing the deaths in the Dominican Republic. I think the most important thing that has not yet been reported is the results of the toxicology that the FBI is allegedly investigating, such as methanol and that can also cause respiratory failure. So respiratory failure is the conclusion of many processes in the body that can lead you to that. I find that the most important thing in these cases is how fast it has happened. I think the reason why we think it is poisoning is because it happens too quickly, so you have organ failure.

What preventive health measures do you recommend for those who need or want to travel to the Dominican Republic?

When we look at the statistics at this time … it doesn't really show that there is a significant increase in deaths in the Dominican Republic. At least not compared to other years or compared to other countries such as the Bahamas. I think that there is something that has to be investigated and you have to get to the bottom of the problem. Why? because something like that about adulterated drinks is probably happening. I at least felt that with the appropriate measures my family and I could be safe here. People talk about food, but really no infection that comes through food could be causing deaths as fast as those that have been described. I think the recommendation, just like when we travel to countries that we don't know is that one be very careful, let someone know where you are,that when you go to eat that you eat foods that are well cooked, well cooked. When you go to have a drink, know where that drink comes from, that you are seeing when it is being served.

How important is it to have a checkup before leaving for your trip?

I always carry a series of medicines with me (…) I carry antibiotics with me, I take medicines for nausea, medicines in case there is an allergic reaction. I believe that one should do it when one travels to the Dominican Republic or Europe or to any place that one does not know if they have an emergency, they can at least defend themselves in what one sees a doctor. It is something that one can consult with their doctors before traveling. The checkup I always think that one should always have their health insurance up to date, especially if they are going to travel and they are going to be doing some type of quite strong exercise, be it climbing, skiing, water skiing. Obviously they must be sure that they are okay before doing that. That is a recommendation for the Dominican Republic or anywhere they are going to travel.