A 29-year-old foreigner residing in Panama has become the 10^th case of monkeypox reports the Ministry of Health (Minsa).

According to Minsa, the source of the contagion case is related to one already detected in Panama and with which he had close contact on August 14.

Later, the patient presented with symptoms, including fever, malaise, and joint pain. On August 28, vesicular lesions appeared on his skin, so he went to the Parque Lefevre Polycenter a day later. Samples were taken and sent to the Gorgas Commemorative Institute for Health Studies, resulting positive for monkeypox.

The patient is, in home isolation, Minsa said.

Last weekend, the head of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, reported that there was already community transmission of monkeypox in the country. Sucre reiterated that the acquisition of at least a thousand vaccines is being managed to protect the highest-risk population that wants to be vaccinated. Those who have close contact with a positive case will also be immunized, he detailed.

The transmission of monkeypox, from person to person, can occur through skin lesions, from one infected person to another, respiratory and body fluids; and also through infected clothing or any surface that has had contact with the lesions.

On May 24, Panama declared a health alert throughout the country and epidemiological surveillance was redoubled in all health regions and entry points into the national territory.

Worldwide, data reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that the majority of cases are men. 93% of cases are between 25 and 45 years of age, one of the main routes of transmission being contact during sexual intercourse.

On July 23, the  WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.