Dengue Deaths Drop in Panama

Panamá concluded 2025 with a total of 28 deaths from dengue, 51.8% less than the previous year (54), and 16,262 cases of the disease, far below the 32,361 of 2024, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported this Tuesday. According to Lizbeth Cerezo, a technician from the Minsa's Department of Epidemiology, the 2025 dengue figures represent "a substantial improvement in the control of this disease," for which "community participation was a key factor." Last week, the Minsa's Department of Epidemiology reported that as of epidemiological week 52 (December 21-27, 2025), the last of the year, 27 deaths from dengue and 16,103 accumulated cases had been registered in Panamá. Thus, "the pressure on the hospital system also showed a significant decrease, going from 2,669 hospitalizations in 2024 to 1,617 in 2025, which is a 39% reduction." "More than 90% of the control of the disease depends on the actions of the population," the official highlighted in an official statement that also noted the importance of inter-institutional collaboration and the implementation of integrated strategies among various entities, both within and outside the health sector, aimed at eliminating mosquito breeding sites. For 2026, a pilot plan has been launched in the health region of San Miguelito, in the capital, based on a platform that works as a virtual assistant via WhatsApp, so that citizens can immediately report breeding sites and suspected cases, "modernizing the country's health response," the Minsa statement specified.