In the first quarter of 2021, the Metropolitan Health Region accumulated more than 60 cases of malaria, almost the same number of cases with which it closed in 2021. Last year a total of 66 cases were reported.
This is a situation that worries the health authorities, which is why this Wednesday, April 20, the regional directors of Panama East, Darién, Guna Yala, Panama Metro, their respective heads of Epidemiology and Public Health met to coordinate strategies, actions and plans to reduce diagnosed cases of malaria.
Israel Cedeño, head of the Metropolitan Health Region, said that the cases registered in this area have been due to migration. “These are imported cases mainly from the regions of Darién, Guna Yala and East Panama,” he said that among the 60 cases registered in the first quarter they detected two resistant to treatment, which have required review with infectology, so they are looking for strategies that help to improve the health of these patients.
For his part, Carlos Batista regional director of Panama East stressed that they met to create new strategies, whose disease must be treated under strict surveillance and for the moment there are no fatalities from malaria.
Meanwhile, Yala Wagayoguna Díaz, from the Guna Yala region, said they are concerned about the high incidence in endemic areas (East Panama, Darién and Guna Yala) caused by the mobilization of migrants to the city.
