The Ministry of Health Confirms a Third Case of Malaria in Los Santos.

The Ministry of Health (Minsa) confirmed a new case of malaria, after a 30-year-old patient tested positive for the disease.  The patient is a resident of Isla Cañas Los Santos, but had traveled to a training camp for forest rangers in Camino de Cruces, Panama province.  Minsa stated that the patient acquired malaria during the camp stay.

Three cases of malaria have been reported in the province of Los Santos, none of them associated with local transmission.  It is important to know malaria cannot be transmitted person-to-person or through food contact.  It requires a bite from an infected night-active Anopheles mosquito.

The recent outbreak of malaria from Merca Panama, Panama City involved 44 cases primarily among informal handlers or cart-pushers who slept in the dense, wooded periphery of the market. Minsa officially announced that it is entirely safe to purchase or eat food from Merca Panamá.

Camino de Cruces / National Parks: The case confirmed on November 2 highlights that forested, wooded parklands immediately bordering Panama City still harbor active vectors if individuals are exposed overnight.

Panama’s highest-risk zones remain the dense rural areas, primarily east of the Panama Canal. These include the Darién province, Panamá Este, Chepo, and the indigenous comarcas of Guna Yala and Emberá-Wounaan. Moderate rural risks persist west of the canal in Bocas del Toro, Veraguas, and the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca.

It is important to remember to apply heavy-duty insect repellent to exposed skin, especially if you visit parks, wooded trails, or rural communities. Anopheles mosquitoes primarily bite between dusk and dawn. Wear long sleeves, long pants, and thick socks if outdoors.