Hantavirus surveillance for Panama.
Panama hosts Choclo virus, identified following recognition of HPS cases in 1999. The reservoir is the pygmy rice rat. Cases concentrate in Los Santos and Herrera provinces.
Active surveillance. Panama is the endemic zone for Choclo virus, which produces milder HPS than other Americas strains. Approximately 5-15 cases per year, concentrated in the Azuero Peninsula.
The dominant hantavirus species in Panama is Choclo. See the strain reference for detail on transmission, mortality and reservoir biology.