The latest report issued by the Department of Epidemiology, the Ministry of Health (Minsa), reports on the updated cases to date with cases of dengue, hantavirus, malaria, leishmaniasis and Chikunguya in the country.
· Dengue
The report highlights that there are 1,953 confirmed cases of dengue throughout the country. The regions with the most positive cases are: Colón with 412 cases; Panama Metro with 361 cases; Bocas del Toro with 352 cases; West Panama with 205 cases, North Panama with 193 cases and San Miguelito with 153 cases.
The Ministry of Health (MINSA) reiterates the importance of keeping homes and work environment clean, checking door screens, windows, and looking under sinks, as these are places where there may be breeding sites for the transmitting mosquito.
• Hantavirus
Regarding the confirmed data with Hantavirus, 17 cases remain throughout the country; of which with hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, 11 cases are confirmed, ten (10) are alive and 1 death, registered in the province of Herrera and with hantavirus fever there are six (6) cases.
These confirmed cases have been verified in the provinces of Los Santos with eight (8); Herrera with six (6) cases and Coclé with three (3 cases).
The Minsa emphasizes that people keep their home and their environment clean, also collected grains (such as rice and corn), store and seal them to prevent the rodent from having contact and leaving their feces and urine in the surroundings.
• Malaria
During epidemiological week No. 22, 101 cases of malaria have been confirmed (71 in Guna Yala; 22 in Darién, 2 in Panama Metro; 2 in Panama East, 2 in Panama West, 1 in Bocas del Toro and 1 in San Miguelito ). With a cumulative, so far in 2023, of 4,828 cases.
The Minsa continues to reinforce the strategies to mitigate the cases of malaria in the country, the promotion and prevention strategies in these areas, distributing mosquito nets with chemicals and also, reinforcing the operational capacity and the supply of medicines against this disease throughout the country.
• Leishmaniasis, Chikunguya and Zika
Around the cases of Leishmaniasis, during the epidemiological week, 28 active cases are confirmed, with 6 cases in West Panama; 4 cases in Panama Metro, 4 in the Ngäbe Buglé region; 3 cases in Bocas del Toro; 3 cases in Veraguas; 2 cases in Coclé; 2 cases in Chiriquí, 2 in Colón; and with 1 case in San Miguelito and 1 in Darién. 757 accumulated cases so far in 2023.
Seven (7) cases of Chikungunya remain, distributed in the sectors of North Panama in Alcalde Díaz; San Miguelito, in the José Domingo Espinar sector; in West Panama, Burunga sector and in the metropolitan region, in El Chorrillo.
Still without registering, no cases of Zika, so far in 2023.
