Health authorities in Panama reported this Sunday that 25 deaths from dengue and 15,098 cases of the disease have been registered up to epidemiological week 48 (from November 23 to 29). Dengue cases grew by 94%, and deaths totaled 52 by the end of 2024 in Panama, nearly triple the number recorded the previous year, according to Ministry of Health statistics. The national incidence rate in epidemiological week 48 of the current year is 330 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Deaths from the disease have been recorded in almost all regions of the country, with the western province of Chiriquí, bordering Costa Rica, reporting the highest number at five deaths, followed by neighboring Bocas del Toro with four and the metropolitan area with three. The Ministry of Health (Minsa) detailed that of the total number of cases as of November 29, 1,474 required hospitalization and 103 were classified as severe. The majority of infections are recorded in people between the ages of 10 and 49, according to official information. The Ministry of Health has previously stated that the cocirculation of the four dengue serotypes in Panama, with a predominance of serotype DEN-3 and DENV-4, 'is the reason for the increase in severe and fatal cases,' and has noted that dengue 'is a serious and potentially fatal disease, transmitted through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.' The metropolitan area and San Miguelito, in the capital, account for the majority of cases with 7,242.
Panama Sees Sharp Increase in Dengue Cases
Panamanian authorities report 25 deaths and over 15,000 dengue infections. The incidence rate increased by 94%, nearly tripling last year's figures.
