Health authorities in Panama reported on Wednesday that the country has recorded a total of 6,458 dengue cases and 10 related deaths through epidemiological week 25, which spanned from June 15 to 21, 2025.

Of the total reported cases, 576 patients required hospitalization, and 55 cases have been classified as severe, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health (Minsa).

The metropolitan area and San Miguelito, both in the capital, account for the majority of cases, with 2,753 infections. The reported deaths occurred in the western provinces of Chiriquí (4) and Bocas del Toro (2); the eastern province of Darién (2); and Panamá Este and Coclé, with one death each.

“The national dengue incidence rate during epidemiological week 25 of 2025 is 125.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Most cases have occurred in individuals aged 10 to 59 years,” the official report stated.

Panama is currently experiencing co-circulation of all four dengue serotypes, with DENV-3 and DENV-4 being the most prevalent. This, according to Minsa, “increases the likelihood of severe and fatal cases.”

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The Ministry emphasized that dengue is a serious and potentially deadly disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and noted that it has ramped up nationwide operations through vector control teams to reduce infection rates.

However, officials stressed that citizen participation remains critical, urging the public to eliminate mosquito breeding sites both inside and around their homes.

The Costa Rican government announced on Tuesday the extension of a humanitarian migration category and the granting of work permits to a group of migrants from various nationalities who were stranded in the country after being deported from the United States last February.

“A new extension of this humanitarian category has been published, allowing these individuals to maintain regular status in Costa Rica for six months. One of the new features is that they now have the right to work, which will help facilitate their integration into the country,” said Migration Director Omer Badilla.

In February, Costa Rica received two flights carrying 200 deported migrants from the United States, including 81 minors. They came from Nepal, China, Russia, India, Congo, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ghana, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The Costa Rican government said at the time that this was part of an agreement with the Trump administration for Costa Rica to serve as a transit point for migrants returning to their countries or a third country.

The migrants were taken to the Temporary Migrant Care Center (CATEM) in southern Costa Rica near the Panama border. Nearly half returned voluntarily to their countries, others sought asylum in Costa Rica, some left the center, and others remain voluntarily.

Currently, 25 migrants remain at CATEM voluntarily. According to authorities, the humanitarian migration status allows them free mobility and now the possibility to seek employment.

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The acceptance of these 200 migrants sparked controversy in Costa Rica, with several NGOs denouncing that authorities violated human rights by not allowing the migrants to move outside CATEM for two months until the humanitarian migration status was first established in April.

In an unprecedented shift, the number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border dropped by 92% in June compared to the same month last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Only 6,070 people were intercepted along the southwest border—marking the lowest figure in a quarter century. This sharp decline signals a new chapter in the region’s migration history.

The “crackdown on irregular migration” in the United States—as described by International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director Amy Pope—has triggered a domino effect across several Latin American countries. However, Pope does not consider this to be an isolated case. “What we are seeing in the U.S. is similar to what’s happening globally when there is a demand for migrants,” she told DW, warning of the labor and social consequences this situation is generating.

Regional Trends Reflect the Shift

Panama and Honduras are two clear examples of the regional impact. In the Darién Gap—a historic migration route to the north—migration fell by 99.7% in April 2025 compared to April 2024, according to Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino. Authorities even shut down the main migrant station in the area.

Honduras also recorded a drastic drop in northbound migration. According to an IOM report, only 14,270 people set out between January and March 2025, compared to 133,518 during the same period in 2024.

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At the same time, so-called “reverse migration” is increasing: individuals, discouraged or without resources, are choosing to return to their countries of origin. In Colombia, more than 9,000 migrants have crossed back through the Darién Gap so far this year, according to the country’s Office of the Ombudsman.