The Colombian Ministry of Health has declared a national health emergency following an "active" outbreak of yellow fever. According to the Colombian health authorities, 75 cases of yellow fever have been reported since September 2024, resulting in 34 deaths.
Currently, at least one case of yellow fever has been reported in nine of Colombia's 32 departments. The majority of cases have occurred in rural areas of the Tolima and Meta departments, the Amazon basin, and the Magdalena River region. According to the Presidential Office, cases have also emerged in the Caldas coffee-growing region, where there were no previous records of yellow fever, raising concerns about its spread.
Alerts had already been issued in some areas in anticipation of increased travel during the Easter holidays, and with the declaration of this national emergency, travel to certain areas severely affected by the virus's spread will be restricted.
Yellow fever is a disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), many people infected with yellow fever do not experience symptoms, but some develop fever, muscle pain, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, or vomiting. In most cases, these symptoms disappear after 3 to 4 days.
However, some patients progress to a second, more toxic phase of the illness, experiencing jaundice and abdominal pain. It is reported that half of the patients who enter this phase die within 7 to 10 days. Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment for yellow fever, and the WHO recommends that patients rest, stay hydrated, and seek medical care as needed.
President Gustavo Petro's office urged Colombian citizens to receive a single-dose vaccine, which is available free of charge to everyone over nine months old. The Presidential Office also announced that medical teams would be dispatched to affected areas to administer vaccinations. President Petro stated on his X (formerly Twitter) account, "Within two months, all Colombians must be vaccinated against yellow fever. We must execute this, and our health system must guarantee it." He added that he would declare an economic emergency due to the situation.
The Presidential Office stated that the Ministry of Health and the National Health Institute have dispatched more than 20 rapid response teams to investigate the spread of the disease. Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo said in an interview with local media, "We have already asked each regional authority to prepare hospitals where people suffering from the disease can go, and through this, we will be able to control patients clearly and definitively."
Meanwhile, some opposition politicians are criticizing the government's response as being too late. Senator Paloma Valencia of the Democratic Center party stated, "It is unacceptable that a health and economic emergency for yellow fever is declared now when the crisis began six months ago. Decisions should have been made much earlier to prevent deaths."
President Petro is scheduled to hold a broadcast cabinet meeting on Monday regarding urgent measures to prevent the spread of the virus and will release a new report on the disease's progress.
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