The Ministry of Health has urged the entire population over 9 months of age to go to vaccination posts, especially those residing in or planning to travel to departments such as Tolima, Caquetá, Meta, Amazonas, Guaviare and Vaupés, where active circulation of the virus has been detected. To reinforce these actions, more than 10,000 basic health teams have been deployed, and epidemiological corridors, mobile vaccination posts, and health checkpoints have been set up on access roads to the affected regions.
In addition, authorities have intensified epidemiological surveillance in rural and jungle areas, as well as the monitoring of epizootics in howler monkeys and other species susceptible to the virus, considered as early warning sentinels. These tasks are essential to anticipate the possible spread of the disease to new foci and prevent its arrival in densely populated areas. In this sense, the director of the National Health Institute, Diana Pava, warned that there is a latent risk of the virus reaching urban environments, which would be “catastrophic” due to the speed of transmission and the volume of susceptible population.
The government, in coordination with departmental and municipal authorities, has also requested the support of the private sector, EPS and IPS to facilitate access to the vaccine and inform citizens about the risks of yellow fever. Mass communication campaigns have begun to be broadcast on radio, television and social networks, emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated and adopting preventive measures, such as the use of repellents, clothing that covers arms and legs, and the elimination of mosquito breeding sites in homes and public spaces.
Travel agencies, airlines and tour operators have received specific guidelines to require travelers to present an international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever when entering areas with high transmission, in compliance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). This measure seeks to ensure the safety of both tourists and local communities.
The emergency declaration will remain in effect until at least eight consecutive weeks have elapsed without notification of human or animal cases. During this period, the Ministry of Health and the territorial entities will continue to work on containing the outbreak, strengthening hospital capacity in the affected regions and ensuring the supply of vaccines and medical supplies.
Colombia thus faces a major epidemiological challenge, but the authorities are confident that joint action by the government, health professionals and citizens will make it possible to halt the spread of yellow fever and avoid a scenario with greater consequences. Vaccination and prevention remain, today more than ever, the most powerful tools to protect public health and contain a disease that, although preventable, can be deadly.
