YELLOW FEVER – AMERICAS (13): COLOMBIA (TOLIMA) NEW CASES
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Date: Thu 7 Nov 2024 13:32 EST
Source: Infobae [in Spanish, trans. Mod.TY, edited]
https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2024/11/07/por-brote-de-fiebre-amarilla-el-ministerio-de-salud-activo-cerco-epidemiologico-en-importante-departamento-turistico-del-pais/
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection reported the appearance
of 11 new cases of yellow fever in the department of Tolima, of which
8 now have been confirmed.
This outbreak, which has left 3 people dead and 5 in critical
condition, has led to the immediate activation of an epidemiological
cordon in 11 municipalities of the department, with special emphasis
on Cunday, Prado, Purificación and Villarrica, the towns that report
the highest number of cases.
There are 3 other patients that are under permanent medical
observation, according to the report from local health authorities.
To address this situation, the Ministry of Health, in coordination
with the Government of Tolima, the EPS, the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), and relief agencies such as Civil Defense and the
Red Cross, installed a Unified Command Post (PMU) in the region.
This team coordinates containment and prevention actions in the
department, following an integrated strategy that includes
vaccination, monitoring, and community education.
As a main measure, a mass vaccination campaign was carried out on
November 2 [2024] in the priority municipalities.
For this activity, 63 teams of vaccinators were deployed including 38
teams financed by the national government and 25 additional ones
provided by EPS such as Nueva EPS, Salud Total, Asmet Salud, Famisanar
and Pijao Salud, in collaboration with the Saldaña and Guamo
municipalities.
The goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible in a 15-day
period, seeking to close the epidemiological cordon in the affected
region. In the less affected municipalities, vaccination will also be
carried out in advance to ensure the containment of the outbreak.
The Ministry of Health also assigned a specialized team composed of 3
physicians, 2 entomologists, hospital care technologists and
professional nurses, who work hand in hand with the Departmental
Health Secretariat to coordinate actions on the ground. Likewise,
logistical and equipment support was requested from the Health
Cluster, PAHO, and other international cooperating partners, to
reinforce the resources destined to contain the outbreak.
The Minister of Health, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, explained that
collaboration with the EPS, hospitals and cooperating agencies is
essential to monitor the progress of the strategy. “We hope that it
progresses satisfactorily and that we contain the outbreak of yellow
fever that has occurred in the department of Tolima,” Jaramillo said.
Although Tolima has vaccination coverage of over 93%, the Ministry of
Health urges all residents, especially those who live in or plan to
visit rural areas, to make sure they are vaccinated. In parallel to
the vaccination campaign, health education and communication
activities are being carried out to raise awareness in the community
about prevention methods, such as the use of repellents and measures
to avoid mosquito bites.
Health authorities remind the population of the importance of going to
the authorized vaccination points and, in case of presenting symptoms
similar to those of yellow fever, to seek immediate medical attention.
For more information, citizens can contact their EPS or go to the
vaccination points in their municipalities.
The director of the Tolima epidemiological surveillance system, Fair
Alarcón, explained that there were no reports of this disease in the
region, and for this reason, action must be taken quickly to prevent
its spread.
“Data indicate that there were reports in the departments of the
Llanos Orientales, Caquetá and Putumayo recently in Huila and now we
have it in Tolima. At the national level we already have 9 cases. We
must remember that yellow fever has 2 forms of transmission, one in
the forest phase where there are some [non-human] primates that can
have the disease and then some vectors appear who bite these primates
and later bite humans.”