WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Colombian government has declared a national health emergency late Wednesday following a sharp rise in yellow fever cases.
Since the beginning of last year, the outbreak has led to 74 confirmed infections and 34 deaths, according to Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo.
Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. While preventable by a vaccine, the current surge has raised serious public health concerns.
Health officials are urging citizens to get vaccinated ahead of the Easter weekend, a period when many Colombians travel to warmer regions where mosquito populations, and thus the risk of transmission, are higher. The yellow fever vaccine is provided free of charge in Colombia.
Minister Jaramillo emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that the current outbreak has a nearly 50 percent mortality rate. 'This has been particularly deadly,' he told Colombian radio station RCN. Notably, most cases have been concentrated in the eastern part of Tolima province.
Yellow fever had been largely under control in Colombia, with just two cases reported in 2023 and none between 2019 and 2022, according to the Ministry of Health.
The situation in Colombia mirrors a broader regional concern. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently elevated the yellow fever risk in South America to Level 2, citing a rising number of cases.
Travelers to Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru are now advised to take enhanced precautions, including vaccination at least 10 days before travel and strict mosquito bite prevention measures.
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