Panama tightens monitoring as respiratory syncytial virus cases and deaths rise

Panama’s Health Ministry has strengthened epidemiological surveillance as respiratory syncytial virus infections and associated deaths continue to rise.

Yadira de Moltó of the ministry’s Epidemiology Department said incidence increased from five cases per 100,000 people in epidemiological week 23 to 12 in week 32, then to 15.6 in week 33. She said the upward trend matched the expected season for respiratory illnesses, while authorities estimated that cases could begin to decline within two or three weeks.

Panama had recorded 19 RSV-associated deaths by week 33. Ten involved children under one year old, five involved one-year-olds, two involved people aged 65 or older, and two involved children aged three to five. The deaths occurred in Ngäbe-Buglé, Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, Panamá Oeste, Panamá Norte, the metropolitan region, San Miguelito and Coclé. A three-month-old baby from Bocas del Toro also died during week 33.

The ministry monitors RSV and other pathogens through a bronchiolitis surveillance system. De Moltó said testing does not occur for every bronchiolitis patient. Officials prioritize tests for people who need hospitalization, cases involving clinical suspicion and deaths requiring investigation.

The ministry urged parents and caregivers to seek immediate care if a baby has difficulty breathing or feeding, becomes unusually weak or refuses food. Warning signs also include nasal flaring and the skin pulling in between or beneath the ribs while breathing. To protect newborns, the ministry acquired 13,700 doses of a monoclonal antibody against RSV and distributed them among the country’s 15 health regions.

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A rising trend can be observed compared with previous weeks.