Warning of an increase in diseases due to the closure of migration crossings in Darién

Endemic diseases such as Congenital syphilis, chikungunya, dengue and leptospirosis could increase in Colombia due to the lockdownby the Panamanian authorities, of migratory crossings in the dangerous Darien jungle, where thousands of migrants pass every week on their way to North America, the Panamanian government warned on Friday. Colombian Ombudsman’s Office.

In an analysis prepared by this state institution on the violation of human rights due to the land closure of the Colombian-Panamanian border by the Central American country in several steps of the Darien Gap, Health problems were found in nine border municipalities in Colombiahome to around 480,000 people.

“If the number of people on the move increases, the hospital network would collapse, which is why the human rights institution urges the National Government and municipal and departmental health authorities to implement measures to prevent a possible increase in pathologies,” the Ombudsman’s Office warned.