Dominican Republic's health ministry calls mysterious deaths 'fake news' as official lashes out in interview

[WestVirginiaRebel]

 

Fox News

Dominican Republic public health officials dismissed reports of the rash of deaths of U.S. tourists at luxury resorts as nothing more than “fake news” Wednesday aimed at undermining their tourism industry.

Ministry of Public Health spokesman Carlos Suero told Fox News on Wednesday that either final or preliminary autopsy reports for the nine tourists whose deaths are publicly known show they died of natural causes.

Suero also said that results from testing by government health inspectors – with assistance from the U.S. Embassy, he added -- of food and alcohol, the pool and air conditioning and other areas on the properties all came back negative. Several of the U.S. tourists who died were said to have had a beverage from the room minibar before they fell ill.

“It’s all a hysteria against the Dominican Republic, to hurt our tourism, this is a very competitive industry and we get millions of tourists, we are a popular destination,” Suero said. “People are taking aim at us.”

“The testing results are all negative, everything – the food, the alcohol, the air – is normal, there is no alteration of the alcohol,” Suero said. “With all the tourists we get every year, we make sure we comply with international standards for everything.”

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So says a soon to be former health official?