Untreated water was the exposure factor that led to the outbreak of gastroenteritis in the indigenous community of Nueva Lucha, in the mountains of the Donoso district, revealed the field study carried out by the Ministry of Health in this remote community on the Coast. Below the province of Colón.
The investigation indicated that the consumption of untreated water from the river near their residences was what led to contracting this disease.
The analyses carried out by laboratories on patients from Nueva Lucha who were transferred to the Hospital del Niño and Santo Tomás in Panama City, showed parasites and enterobacteria, after ingesting contaminated water for a long period of time.
This adds to the vulnerable condition of the indigenous population with malnutrition, causing gastroenteritis to be severe.
Currently, the outbreak has decreased because the population has taken measures not to drink the water in this indigenous region of Colón.
