PANAMA’S  Ministry of Health (Minsa)  is gearing up to fight an expected rainy season spike in dengue cases with 2,376 reported so far.

The Ministry’s Epidemiological Surveillance System said on Sunday, Sep 17 ,  that the most cases are  the regions of Bocas del Toro, West Panama, Panama Metro and San Miguelito.

Minsa has stressed the importance of eliminating the breeding sites of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes  to avoid diseases such as dengue, zika (346 cases reported) and chikungunya (34).

Minister  of  Health, Miguel Mayo, said that dengue is potentially fatal.  "Currently we do not have cases of deaths, however, we have the projection of having more cases reported than in 2016," he said.

Minsa  is urging citizens to avoid being sanctioned for having mosquito breeding sites in their homes.Fines range from $20 to $100.

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