Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link

Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.

Volume 31, Number 12—December 2025

Synopsis

Reemergence of Yellow Fever, Magdalena Valley, Colombia, 2024–2025

Jerson Andrés Cuéllar-Sáenz, Alfonso J. Rodríguez-Morales, and Álvaro A. Faccini-MartínezComments to Author 
Author affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia (J.A. Cuéllar-Sáenz); Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá (J.A. Cuéllar-Sáenz); Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Peru (A.J. Rodríguez-Morales); Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas-Institución Universitaria Visión de las Américas, Pereira, Colombia (A.J. Rodríguez-Morales); Hospital Militar Central, Bogotá (Á.A. Faccini-Martínez); Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Bogotá (Á.A. Faccini-Martínez)

Main Article

Table 2

Numbers of reported cases of yellow fever in Colombia during 1956–1999 noted in study of reemergence of yellow fever in Colombia, 2024–2025*

Years Cases
1956–1962 ND
1963 10
1964 10
1965 2
1966 3
1967 5
1968 11
1969 7
1970 7
1971 9
1972 3
1973 16
1974 36
1975 12
1976 22
1977 9
1978 105
1979 51
1980 11
1981 7
1982 2
1983 1
1984 16
1985 4
1986–1999 5

*Sources: Segura et al (10), Pan American Health Organization (11–13). ND, no data.

Main Article

References
  1. World Health Organization. Yellow fever. 2023 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/yellow-fever
  2. Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia. Guideline for comprehensive clinical care of yellow fever in Colombia [in Spanish]. 2024 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/VS/PP/ET/lineamiento-atencion-clinica-integral-fiebre-amarilla-2024.pdf
  3. Patiño Camargo  L. Notes on yellow fever in Colombia [in Spanish]. Rev Fac Med (Caracas). 1937;6:211–81 https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/revfacmed/article/view/23549.
  4. Gast Galvis  A. History of yellow fever in Colombia [in Spanish]. Bogotá: Imprenta del Instituto Nacional de Salud; 1982.
  5. Gast Galvis  A. Incidence of yellow fever in different areas of Colombia [in Spanish]. Bol Oficina Sanit Panam OSP. 1958;44.
  6. Boshell Manrique  J. Report on wild yellow fever in the Meta region, from July 1934 to December 1936 [in Spanish]. Rev Fac Med (Caracas). 1938;6:407–27 https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/revfacmed/article/view/24090.
  7. Gast Galvis  A. Examination results of the first 5,000 human liver samples obtained in Colombia for the study of yellow fever [in Spanish]. Rev Fac Med (Caracas). 1941;10:87–112 https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/revfacmed/article/view/25974.
  8. Corredor Arjona  A. Yellow fever in Colombia: a seminal investigation [in Spanish]. Rev Salud Publica (Bogota). 1999;1:137–51.
  9. Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia. Study of a yellow fever outbreak in Caquetá, 2005 [in Spanish]. Inf Quinc Epidemiol Nac. 2006;11:329–44.
  10. Segura  ÁM, Cardona  D, Garzón  MO. [Trends in yellow fever mortality in Colombia, 1998-2009] [in Spanish]. Biomedica. 2013;33(Suppl 1):52–62.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  11. Pan American Health Organization. Reported cases of notifiable diseases in the Americas, 1964 [in Spanish]. 1966 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/47821
  12. Pan American Health Organization. Yellow fever in the Americas. PAHO Epidemiol Bull. 1980 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/46432
  13. Pan American Health Organization. Yellow fever in the Americas, 1981–1985. Bol Epidemiol. 1986;7:1–2.
  14. Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia. Yellow fever in Colombia, 2000–2019 [in Spanish]. Boletín Epidemiológico Semanal. Report no. 4. 2020 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.ins.gov.co/buscador-eventos/BoletinEpidemiologico/2020_Boletin_epidemiologico_semana_4.pdf
  15. Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia. Event report: yellow fever [in Spanish]. 2025 Mar 22 [cited 2025 Nov 22] https://www.ins.gov.co/buscador-eventos/Informesdeevento/FIEBRE%20AMARILLA%20PE%20III%202025.pdf
  16. Sanchez-Rojas  IC, Solarte-Jimenez  CL, Chamorro-Velazco  EC, Diaz-Llerena  GE, Arevalo  CD, Cuasquer-Posos  OL, et al. Yellow fever in Putumayo, Colombia, 2024. New Microbes New Infect. 2025;64:101572.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  17. Pan American Health Organization. National profile of yellow fever in Colombia [in Spanish]. 2022 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://iris.paho.org/bitstream/handle/10665.2/56910/OPSFPLIM0039_spa.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  18. Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia. SIVICAP Evaluation of chemical and microbiological risk in drinking water in Colombia, 2023 [in Spanish]. Boletín Epidemiológico Semanal. Report no. 43. 2024 [cited 2025 Nov 22].https://www.ins.gov.co/buscador-eventos/BoletinEpidemiologico/2024_Boletin_epidemiologico_semana_43.pdf
  19. Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia. Measles and rubella: epidemiological behavior of integrated surveillance [in Spanish]. Boletín Epidemiológico Semanal. Report no. 37. 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.ins.gov.co/buscador-eventos/BoletinEpidemiologico/2025_Boletin_epidemiologico_semana_37.pdf
  20. Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia. Resolution 691 of 2025. Through which a health emergency is declared throughout the national territory due to the outbreak caused by the yellow fever virus, and measures are adopted for its prevention and control [in Spanish]. 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Normatividad_Nuevo/Resolucion%20No%20691%20de%202025.pdf
  21. Perez  LJ, Perez-Restrepo  LS, Ciuoderis  K, Usuga  J, Moreno  I, Vargas  V, et al. Emergence, persistence, and positive selection of yellow fever virus in Colombia. Front Microbiol. 2025;16:1548556.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. Piedrahita-Cortés  J, Soler-Tovar  D. Geographical distribution of the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) and yellow fever in Colombia. Biomedica. 2016;36:116–24.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  23. Hernández-Galvis  J, Pizarro  AB, Cuestas  JA, Castañeda-Cardona  C, Rosselli  D. Yellow fever in Colombia: from public calamity to neglected disease. Acta Méd Peruana. 2018;35:55–9.
  24. Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia. Yellow fever [in Spanish]. Boletín Epidemiológico Semanal. Report no. 4. 2024 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.ins.gov.co/buscador-eventos/BoletinEpidemiologico/2024_Bolet%C3%ADn_epidemiologico_semana_4.pdf
  25. Nederlof  RA, Virgilio  T, Stemkens  HJJ, da Silva  LCCP, Montagna  DR, Abdussamad  AM, et al. Yellow fever in non-human primates: a veterinary guide from a One Health perspective. Vet Sci. 2025;12:339.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  26. Berthet  M, Mesbahi  G, Duvot  G, Zuberbühler  K, Cäsar  C, Bicca-Marques  JC. Dramatic decline in a titi monkey population after the 2016-2018 sylvatic yellow fever outbreak in Brazil. Am J Primatol. 2021;83:e23335.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  27. Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Epidemiological update on yellow fever in the Americas Region [in Spanish]. 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.paho.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/2025-abril-24-phe-actualizacion-epidemiologica-fiebre-amarilla-final.pdf
  28. Aliaga-Samanez  A, Real  R, Segura  M, Marfil-Daza  C, Olivero  J. Yellow fever surveillance suggests zoonotic and anthroponotic emergent potential. Commun Biol. 2022;5:530.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. Cruz-Rodríguez  C, Noguera-Urbano  E, Olaya-Rodríguez  MH, Henao-Díaz  LF, Guzmán-Caro  DC, Ochoa-Quintero  JM, et al. Primates and deforestation in Colombia. Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute. 2019 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://reporte.humboldt.org.co/biodiversidad/2019/cap2/204
  30. Henao Diaz  F, Stevenson  P, Carretero-Pinzón  X, Castillo-Ayala  C, Chacón Pacheco  J, Defler  T, et al. Biodiversity atlas of Colombia. Primates. Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute. 2020 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://biomodelos.humboldt.org.co/atlas/Primates.pdf
  31. García Botero  R; Instituto Colombo-Alemán para la Paz. Deforestation and armed conflict in Colombia: considerations and recommendations. San Francisco: Academia; 2024.
  32. McMichael  AJ. Environmental and social influences on emerging infectious diseases: past, present and future. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2004;359:1049–58.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  33. Tuells  J, Henao-Martínez  AF, Franco-Paredes  C. Yellow fever: a perennial threat. Arch Med Res. 2022;53:649–57. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  34. Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia. Technical and operational guidelines for the national yellow fever vaccination campaign in the susceptible population aged 15 to 18 years in Colombia. 2024 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/VS/PP/PAI/lineamientos-tecnicos-operativos-jonada-nacional-vacunacion-fiebre-amarilla-15-18-anos.pdf
  35. Santos  JD, Rocha  KLS, Amaral  CD, Dutra  AGS, Figueiredo  PO, Rocha-Vieira  E, et al. The yellow fever outbreak in Brazil (2016–2018): how a low vaccination coverage can contribute to emerging disease outbreaks. Microorganisms. 2025;13:1287.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  36. Pan American Health Organization. Epidemiological alert yellow fever in the Americas Region—31 May 2025. 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 22]. https://www.paho.org/en/documents/epidemiological-alert-yellow-fever-americas-region-31-may-2025
  37. Bonilla-Aldana  DK, Bonilla-Aldana  JL, Castellanos  JE, Rodriguez-Morales  AJ. Importance of epizootic surveillance in the epidemiology of yellow fever in South America. Curr Trop Med Rep. 2025;12:1–9. DOIGoogle Scholar
  38. Giovanetti  M, Pinotti  F, Zanluca  C, Fonseca  V, Nakase  T, Koishi  AC, et al. Genomic epidemiology unveils the dynamics and spatial corridor behind the yellow fever virus outbreak in southern Brazil. Sci Adv. 2023;9:eadg9204. DOIGoogle Scholar
  39. Rodriguez-Morales  AJ, Alhazmi  AH, Katime  A, Hameed  AA, Morales  A, Lepetic  AC, et al. SLAMVI, ESGITM, EVASG, ALEIMC, GEPI-SEIMC, SEMEVI, and CMTZMV-ACIN. Yellow fever in South America—a plea for action and call for prevention also in travelers from SLAMVI, ESGITM, EVASG, ALEIMC, GEPI-SEIMC, SEMEVI, and CMTZMV-ACIN. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2025;67:102871. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  40. Sanchez-Rojas  IC, Bonilla-Aldana  DK, Solarte-Jimenez  CL, Bonilla-Aldana  JL, Belisario-Tovar  M, Ortega-Gómez  S, et al. Fatal yellow fever among captive non-human primates in southern Colombia, 2025. Front Vet Sci. 2025;12:1655474. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar

Main Article

Page created: November 17, 2025
Page updated: December 12, 2025
Page reviewed: December 12, 2025
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external