Water or Virus Causes Outbreak

Since March 1, 4,000 in Panama have been affected by an infection leading to vomiting and diarrhea, El Siglo reports.

Health authorities are investigating the outbreak to determine if it is due to a virus, water consumed or something else.

According to Gladys Guerrero, head of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, there are up to 200,000 cases of diarrhea reported in hospitals and medical centers each year.  There were 185,902 cases in 2007;  175,243 in 2008 and 184,164 cases in 2009.

Children under five years old are the most likely to be affected.