Panamanian Ministry of Health: New measures to prevent Coronavirus Pandemic help reduce dengue fever and other diseases
November 11 the Panamanian Ministry of Health said that due to the adoption of home quarantine and sanitation and Pandemic prevention measures, the number of people infected with various viruses will decrease in 2020.
Lourdes Moreno, head of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health of Panama, said that the number of dengue infections in 2020 has decreased by 63.3%. As of the end of October 2020, there were 1,836 cases of dengue infection, compared with 5,000 in the same period in 2019.
She said that this was because people cleaned the inside and outside of their homes during the quarantine period, so the number of infected cases has dropped significantly compared with 2019.
Moreno also said that the most commonly reported disease in hospitals is food poisoning, but because many people have developed the habit of cooking at home and washing hands, the number of such patients has also decreased.
According to the report, despite the reduction in the number of infected cases, the Panamanian Ministry of Health still requires citizens not to relax their vigilance, pay attention to house cleaning, and discard water containers that may breed Aedes mosquitoes.
Moreno also emphasized the importance of wearing a mask. She pointed out that masks can not only prevent the new coronavirus infection, but also help fight the flu. “We call on the general public to continue to maintain cleanliness and hygiene to reduce the spread of related viruses.”
She concluded that keeping physical distance, washing hands, wearing masks and other hygiene measures have had a positive effect on protecting people’s health.
