Before the start of the Carnival festivities, the Department of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reports that according to the latest report, a cumulative 139 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed to date in Panama.
According to epidemiological data, during the week of February 8 to 15, 10 new cases are confirmed, bringing the number of accumulated cases throughout the country to 139.
Of the 129 accumulated cases, 23 patients are active cases (18 in home isolation and 5 in isolation in health facilities), while 116 ended their isolation, without major setbacks.
So far, the confirmed cases remain in the provinces of Los Santos, Veraguas, Chiriquí and Panama Oeste; and in the Health regions: Metropolitan, San Miguelito and Panamá Norte.
As the protocol dictates, the samples were sent to the Gorgas Memorial Institute where they were processed, giving positive results with monkeypox, so the regional health teams immediately carried out field investigations in order to determine the close contacts of these cases. and
offer them vaccination against monkeypox to break the chain of transmission of the virus and the spread of the disease.
The corregimientos with the most confirmed cases of monkeypox are: Bella Vista; San Francisco; Kalydonia; Down river; Lefevre Park, Pedregal, Juan Díaz, Pacora, Chilibre, Bethania and Ancón.
They are followed by Arnulfo Arias Madrid, Belisario Porras, Las Palmitas (Los Santos) and Tocumen; Victoriano Lorenzo, Vista Alegre, Juan Demóstenes Arosemena, Arnulfo Arias Madrid, December 24, Mayor Díaz, Barrio Colón, Belisario Frías, El Chorrillo and Ernesto Córdoba.
Of these 139 cases, 137 men and 2 women have tested positive; and the distribution of cases, remain in the age range between 19 to 59 years.
For its part, the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI) reports that, until February 13, 173 doses of the monkeypox vaccine have been applied, with 150 first doses and 23 second doses.
The Metropolitan Health Region has the largest number of first doses applied with 55; Bocas del Toro with 33 doses; Veraguas with 30 doses; North Panama with 9 doses; West Panama with 7 doses; Chiriquí with 6 doses; San Miguelito with 4 doses; Los Santos and Panama East with 2 doses.
Since last May 24, Panama has maintained a health alert throughout the country and epidemiological surveillance has been redoubled in all health regions and all points of entry into the national territory.
