El Salvador, Wed. Aug. 31, 2022

The head of the Ministry of Health in El Salvador, Francisco Alabi, confirmed yesterday that the first case of monkeypox has been identified within that Latin American nation. The infected person is a 28-year-old woman, official reports from the presidential palace said yesterday. The woman’s diagnosis has been confirmed, and she has most likely been isolated at this time to prevent any community spread. Alabi also stated, “We have taken all the measures, and we are following up on all its links. This is important in order to give a comprehensive approach.”

This means the necessary contact tracing will be done in order to determine if any other person in the country has been infected by the virus. According to Alabi, there is a PCR test in the country to confirm infection.

By all indications, this is the first case of monkeypox confirmed in El Salvador. However, cases have been identified in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama. In Panama, on Sunday, August 28, health officials declared that monkeypox has begun to spread communally within that country.

At this time there are 9 confirmed cases in that country. Two of those are classified as community cases, while another was contracted by a person who had contact with someone from outside that nation.

At this time, no case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Belize, but suspect cases have been tested so far, with the results of all 7 samples reportedly being classified as negative.