Dengue cases set to pass 2013 total

WITH 4,729 cases of dengue, already recorded this year, Panama is on track to pass last year’s total of 4,781 says the Ministry of Health (MoH).

There have also been 38 confirmed cases of chikungunya fever or virus, of which 13 have been imported and the rest indigenous.
The MoH dengue report, until October said there were 17,414 cases with warning signs, 4,295 with no warning signs, and 20 severe cases and 9 deaths were reported.
Deaths from dengue this year occurred in Panama Metro, San Miguelito , Herrera, western Panama and Colon.
The MoH reported that in 24 weeks, since the detection of the first suspected case of chikungunya lin May, there have been 170 people suspected of the disease, 129 cases were ruled negative and three are awaiting results.
Th chikungunya virus, is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
The MoH said that to prevent dengue and chikungunya cases mosquito breeding sites should be eleiminated and they are continuing a spraying operations in different regions of the country.
Penalties are applied to owners of sites and residences where larvae are discovered