Panama: Dengue, DREF Operation update (MDRPA019) - December 2024

Country: Panama Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. Dengue is a major public health concern in the Americas region, where climatic conditions and urban infrastructure favor the proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main vector of this disease. The region faces a high incidence of dengue, with recurrent epidemic cycles that challenge public health systems in many countries. Factors such as rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and the El Niño phenomenon contribute to its spread. Rapid population growth and unplanned urbanization are also crucial f poor housing and inadequate water and sanitation services facilitate the creation of mosquito breeding sites in discarded objects and other containers used to collect water. On February 16, 2024, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), alerted by the behavior of dengue in the rst weeks of the year, with an exponential increase in cases in several countries of the Americas region, reiterated the call to Member States to intensify eorts to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito. They also urged us to continue with surveillance, early diagnosis, and timely treatment of dengue cases. At the same time, they called for the organization of the health care services network to facilitate access and proper management of patients, to prevent complications and deaths associated with this disease. They also emphasized the need to strengthen communication campaigns to increase community participation in reducing mosquito breeding sites and seeking timely medical attention (1). Between epidemiological weeks 1 and 28 of 2024, a total of 10,893,547 suspected cases of dengue were reported in the Americas region, with a cumulative incidence of 1,154 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This gure represents an increase of 233% compared to the same period in 2023 and 418% over the average for the last 5 years (2).
In Panama, the increase in the number of dengue cases has also been a cause for concern among health authorities and is considered a signicant threat to public health. The Ministry of Health, through resolution N. 1580 of July 25, 2024, has declared a Dengue Health Alert in the Health Regions of Panama Metro, Colon, Panama Oeste, and Panama Este (3). The Gorgas Memorial Institute (ICGES) reported that the four dengue serotypes that have been present from 2018 to 2024 are currently circulating in P DENV-1 (genotype V), DENV-2 (Asian American genotype), DENV-3 (genotype III) and DENV-4 (genotype II). They also pointed out that the Cosmopolitan genotype of serotype DENV-2, which is strongly impacting dengue morbimortality in several countries of the region, has not yet been detected in Panama. On August 9, 2024, the Panamanian Ministry of Health formally requested the collaboration of the Red Cross Society of Panama to join the comprehensive response within the national plan in response to the dengue health alert. This collaboration seeks to strengthen dengue control and prevention measures in the country, in an eort to mitigate the spread of the disease and its devastating eect the population. Finally, on October 9, 2024, the Ministry of Health held a technical coordination meeting to evaluate the progress of actions implemented for dengue prevention and management in the country. During the session, it was determined that strengthening preventive and control measures during the summer months remains essential, particularly in highly vulnerable areas, such as those with a history of dengue outbreaks. In this context, the Ministry requested the National Society to extend its interventions in the same previously prioritized geographic areas to reinforce the response to this public health challenge.

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