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

Darien became a migrant settlement / Photo: Union Radio

Endemic diseases such as congenital syphilis, chikungunya, dengue and leptospirosis might increase in Colombia due to the closure by Panamanian authorities of migration crossings in the dangerous Darien jungle, through which thousands of migrants pass each week on their way to North America, the Colombian Ombudsman’s Office warned on Friday.

In an analysis carried out 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 of Colombia, where around 480,000 people live.

Possible collapse

“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 warned.

According to this model, if the closures caused between 10% and 20% of migrants to remain in the Urabá-Darién region, there would be an increase in population, especially in the municipalities of San Juan de Urabá, Arboletes, and San Pedro de Urabá.

Bogota / EFE