The Colombia Briefing | 21st April

🗞️ A state of emergency has been declared in Colombia due to an outbreak of yellow fever. There have been 74 registered cases so far, 32 of which have been fatal.

This is the highest number of cases in Colombia in more than two decades, with patients diagnosed in nine departments. The epicentre of the outbreak is the department of Tolima, with 59 cases, but patients have also been reported in Caquetá, Huila, Vaupés, Cauca, Meta, and Caldas.

There are now more than a hundred municipalities classed as ‘very high risk’ by the Ministry of Health, and nearly 300 classed as ‘high risk’ - together representing 40% of Colombia’s municipalities.

Yellow fever has traditionally been transmitted in jungle areas like the Amazon basin, but due to rising temperatures associated with climate change, the carrier insect (the aedes aegypti mosquito) has been migrating to higher ground, and there is now risk of urban outbreaks. This species of mosquito also transmits dengue, chikungunya, and Zika.

Symptoms of yellow fever include fever, muscle aches and headaches, loss of appetite, and nausea; around one week after infection, patients may also become jaundiced. In many cases, these symptoms disappear within days, but in around 15% of cases, the fever continues to rise and patients are at risk of organ damage and death.

The mosquito-borne virus is often misdiagnosed and as yet has no effective treatment or medication, though vaccination is up to 99% effective and lifelong.

The new health emergency resolution, signed on Wednesday, provides for a national vaccination campaign with new vaccination points, aiming for 95% vaccination rates in high-risk areas. The government plans to vaccinate 14 million people, though only around 4 million doses are currently available.

The resolution also provides police with new powers to to impose restrictions on mobility and access to high risk areas, including the requirement of vaccination certificates in order to enter certain parts of the country.

Other measures include public information campaigns on barrier methods like mosquito nets and appropriate clothing, as well as elimination of stagnant bodies of water that serve as a breeding grounds for mosquitoes.