In the fight against Malaria, The Ministry of Health (Minsa) remaims vigilent. Yelkys Gill, the Director of Public Health announced that 59 malaria patients completed treatment, 50 are currently in treatment, and 15 patients have now concluded treatment.
To contain the outbreak, a cleanup campaign will be carried out with various institutions, in addition to establishing access controls to detect people with symptoms. Minsa is providing 24-hour medical care, and vector control personnel have been working diligently. Authorities recommend using insect repellent, avoiding stagnant water, and seeking medical attention if fever, chills, or muscle aches develop.
An additional health concern has arisen this past week with 4 cases of whooping cough (pertussis). Whooping cough is highly contagious and dangerous for babies and older adults. Two children residing in Platanares, Santa Fecontracted the disease but one of the two sadly passed away as a result. The eight-month-old girl remains in stable condition and is receiving treatment in Veraguas. The other two affected individuals are adults, ages 43 and 46 from Tonosí and Herrera, respectively. None of them had a history of vaccinations.
Whooping cough can look like a common cold at first, then develops into rapid violent coughing fits, sometimes with a high-pitched “whoop” on inhaling, vomiting and exhaustion. In babies, it can cause pauses in breathing and bluish skin. Symptoms may appear up to 3 weeks after exposure and the cough can last 1 to 10 weeks. Seek care at once especially in infants.
Minsa is conducting vaccination campaigns for contacts of infected patients and is urging parents to review their children’s immunization schedules. Vaccination campaigns and epidemiological surveillance is being maintained in communities where cases of pertussis have been detected, including areas affected by the earthquake that shook Panama on October 9.
Health Minister Fernando J. Boyd Galindorepeated that vaccination is one of the main measures to prevent the disease and reduce the risk of transmission. “The important thing is to get vaccinated so we can have it under control,” he said. Vaccinated individuals have a 95% chance of avoiding contracting the disease. He also indicated that authorities are conducting sweeps in communities where infections have been identified to prevent further spread.
Regarding the protocols applied in the shelters set up to care for those affected by the earthquake, the minister explained that an advance team was in charge of vaccinating the people who remain in these spaces. The minister also referred to the cases reported in Tonosí, Los Santos province, and clarified that the infected person did not come from a shelter.
Audio transcript
Your browser does not support the audio element.
00:00
/
03:02
