Judith Pena | January 31, 2023
1,500 new cases of HIV were registered in Panama during 2022, according to Carlos Chávez, Head of the STI/HIV/AIDS section of the Ministry of Health (Minsa).
He stressed that the regions with the most registered cases are the Metropolitan Region, the Ngäbe Buglé region, Colón, San Miguelito, Panama Oeste and Chiriquí.
“We ask the population to use condoms, have responsible risk behavior, since there are other sexual diseases such as syphilis, herpes, so we recommend the use of condoms,” Chávez pointed out.
He revealed that the Minsa is developing, in coordination with the Gorgas Memorial Institute and international cooperation agencies, a new study where they will have the opportunity to find out if the diagnosis of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is recent or long-standing.
“This would help us locate epidemiological foci, where there is greater transmission, in order to attend to those critical areas,” he specified.
