(prensa.com) Health authorities in Panama launched a campaign yesterday, Saturday, to prevent a dengue epidemic in the western province of Chiriquí, where an estimated 377 cases have been registered so far this year.
The Ministry of Health (MINSA) has called on residents of that province, located 440 km from Panama City, to combat the proliferation of breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a known transmitter of this deadly disease.
According to the regional director of health, Santiago De Roux, the campaign is geared towards getting the general public to practice healthier hygiene measures and eliminate the potential breeding of this insect.
During a recent inspection by MINSA, health officials from the entity found numerous abandoned lands, car tires, bottles and cans of soda, all containing water where the Aedes aegypti can reproduce, the agency said.
Panamanian officials also confirmed that in David, capital of Chiriquí, five out of every 100 homes visited by inspectors contained breeding sites.
Over the past year, cases of dengue in this province amounted to 551, which alarmed the authorities, as the figure is well above the average in other provinces.