General Information about the Dominican Republic

Cholera

Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae that causes a lot of watery diarrhea and vomiting. If left untreated, cholera can cause death from dehydration (loss of water and salts from the body) within a few hours.

What are the symptoms?

They appear 2 to 5 days after infection:

• Poop or liquid and profuse poop, similar to rice water
  • Vomiting
  • Stomach pain (abdominal)
  • Dehydration

How is it transmitted?

It is found in the feces and vomit of infected people. Cholera enters through the mouth:

• By consuming contaminated food or water
  • For dirty hands
  • By contact with vomit or infected feces

Prevention measures:

Handwashing

• Wash your hands well with soap and water:

• before eating
• when you get home
• After going to the bathroom
• to prepare food
• After changing the baby’s diaper
• After cleaning up feces or vomit

Food

• Clean canned goods and containers with bleach and water before opening them.
  • Eat well-cooked food
  • Wash fruits and vegetables well.
  • Keep the area where you prepare food clean.
  • Cover food after cooking to protect from flies.

Water consumption

• If you don’t have access to bottled water, add 5 drops of bleach per gallon of clear water and let stand 30 minutes before drinking. After treating and drinking it, protect it from being contaminated.

Source: Ministerio de Salud Pública República Dominicana (2022)

You can move around in the Dominican Republic using these transportation methods:

Santo Domingo Metro

The Santo Domingo Metro has two lines, the majority of them used by people from the community to go to their workplace, or other activities. Line 1 extends from north to south through Máximo Gómez Avenue, from the área of Villa Mella to Centro de los Héroes, where you can find Congress, the Supreme Court of Justice, and the General Directorate of Migration. Line 2 goes east to west throgh John F. Kennedy Avenue. A one-way ticket costs RD$15.00 Dominican Pesos, plus RD$40.00 round-trip or RD$80.00 for a day pass. This operates daily from 6:00AM in the morning to 10:30PM at night.  

Taxi

Taxis are easily found in the city or in the country, generally outside the main Metro or bus stations, or in public spots. In the cities, you can directly call taxi services. When you call, ask the operator to confirm the color of the vehicle, unit number, and estimated wait time. Also confirm the fare price before your trip.

UBER

UBER is in the Dominican Republic since 2015 and now operates in three larger cities: Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata. You can access through the app on your mobile phone.

Bus

You can move around locally using buses that connect main cities around the country. Prices range between RD$200.00 y RD$500.00 for a one-way ticket. Make sure to arrive at leas tan hour before departure time to ensure a seat.

In the Dominican Republic, every child and adolescent has the right to free primary and secondary education. For more information, consult Educando, the Dominican Education portal.

Registration

To register children in the system, please note that there is a regular registration period before the start of classes and an extraordinary registration period. For extraordinary registrations, spaces will only be assigned in educational institutions that have available openings. To do this, you must contact the school districts and request information.

For more information and contact details for school districts, please visit the Ministry of Education website.