Panama city: Panamanian health authorities indicated that the country will end 2025 without an explosion of HIV/AIDS cases, but with a trend aggravated by late diagnosis, it was revealed. According to the Ministry of Health (Minsa) report, while most patients reach the system when the virus has already compromised their health, progress will remain insufficient and deaths-particularly among young people-will continue to be associated with preventable causes.

According to Lao News Agency, figures from the Epidemiology Department confirm that 1,536 new cases were identified in 2024, a number similar to that registered in 2023. However, a critical factor persists: 72% of diagnoses occur in advanced stages, increasing the risk of death and facilitating transmission of the virus before the patient accesses treatment.

This impact is already reflected in deaths: in 2023, 226 people died from causes associated with this disease, and in 2024, the figure rose to 284, according to the Ministry of Health report, which was published in the newspaper La Prensa. The delay in detection not only reflects structural barriers but also reveals stigma, lack of awareness, limited availability of community testing, and difficulties accessing specialists.

In this regard, the Deputy Minister of Health, Manuel Zambrano, stated that Panama has the necessary tools but must ‘overcome taboos and prioritize prevention.’