Colombia has declared a national emergency in terms of health after at least 34 people died of yellow fever, according to official figures.
Yellow fever is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It can be prevented by a vaccine which, in most cases, offers life protection.
The government has urged people to be vaccinated before Easter weekend, at a time when many Colombians go to warmer areas where mosquitoes spread are more widespread.
The Minister of Health, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, said that those who were going to high -risk areas would be required to show evidence of vaccination.
The Minister of Health said that there had been 74 confirmed cases of yellow fever in Colombia so far during this epidemic and has urged people to obtain the vaccine, which in Colombia is free.
The number of cases reported is much higher than in recent years.
In 2023, there were only two cases, and there were no 2019 to 2022, according to figures published by the Ministry of Health.
Jaramillo told Colombian Radio Station RCN that the current epidemic had been particularly deadly “with a mortality rate of almost 50% among infected people”.
Many cases of yellow fever have been grouped in the eastern part of the province of Tolima.
The region is known for its coffee plantations and beautiful landscapes and is popular with national and international tourists.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned on social networks that “people who have not been vaccinated should not go to high -risk areas at Easter: for the moment the coffee area”.
Yellow fever can be difficult to diagnose and its symptoms can be confused with those of other diseases or fevers.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most people recover after the first phase of infection which generally involves fever, muscles and back pain, headache, chills, loss of appetite and nausea or vomiting.
But the WHO warns that around 15% of people face a more serious second phase involving high fever, jaundice, bleeding and deterioration of kidney function.
Half of those who enter this “more toxic” phase generally die within 10 to 14 days, suggest that the figures.