As of June 25th, 9:00 am US Eastern we have gathered reports relating to the Dominican Republic citing over 2,110 persons sickened.
Over 1,830 of the reported illnesses mention locations in and around Punta Cana. Over 870 of the reported illnesses cite the Hard Rock Punta Cana. This is an unusual amount of reporting activity and indicative of a serious problem. As a comparison we received reports citing 10 persons sick for the entire year in 2018.
We started to notice unusual activity starting in April of 2019 when we received reports citing 6 people sick, this was followed by 10 persons reported sick in May, then in early June reports citing 54 persons sick. For a total of 70 up to June 10th.
The rest of the reports have come forward since June 10th. Over 100 of these most recent reports cite illness in prior periods, including 2018, 2017, and earlier. However, the majority relate to the current period.
A number of reports mention chemicals or insecticide. Example:
"We were just there last week party of 13, 6 of us so far have been very sick, another 3 people we know that was there also had to be taken to hospital. I have reported to corporate but we will see if they respond! We saw also people spraying mosquitoes late at night with mask and breathing gear on. This is chemicals being sprayed in the air and where you walk. Unsure what made us sick just glad we are alive it def ruined our vacation we paid so much for."
A number of reports mention drinks from the bar, or mini bar. Example:
"I was staying at the hard rock hotel at Punta Cana for a friends wedding during Memorial Day weekend. The night of May 27th we went to eat dinner at Los Gallos restaurant inside the resort. Afterwards went for drinks at Moon Lounge which is also inside the resort, I also had drinks from the minibar that night. I woke in the middle of the night with a stomach ache and vomiting as well as diarrhea. I called the medical center for help and they said they would charge me if they had someone pick me up and I said I didn’t care that I was really sick. It wasn’t until my third call where they finally had someone come to my room. I ended up on an ambulance that night heading to the hospital because of my illness. I couldn’t enjoy my last day there because of the situation."
If you or a loved one experienced illness we urge you to report it.
