Colombia plans to spend at least $140M on yellow fever emergency response

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said Monday that the government plans to spend at least $140 million to fight a yellow fever outbreak in the country.

Obtaining, and administering, the necessary 13 to 14 million vaccines required to contain the outbreak would cost between $140 and $234 million (COP600 billion and COP1 trillion), Petro said during an address to the nation.

According to the president, this money would come from unfulfilled road construction contracts, as this money is being kept in banks and not being used to fulfill road construction contracts.

“If this is not enough, we will declare an economic emergency” on top of a health emergency that was declared last week, he added.

Current status of the outbreak

There have been 56 cases of yellow fever reported, and 23 deaths so far this year.

Since 2024, sixty-one of the cases have been in the Tolima province, where 23 of those infected died. In Putumayo, seven cases have been detected, five of whom have died. While another two cases were in Narino, and another 2 in Meta.

There have been five confirmed cases of yellow fever in the capital, Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan confirmed in an interview with Noticias Caracol, two of which resulted in death.

All cases were in individuals who arrived in Bogota, and the mayor emphasized that there is no evidence of local transmission.

There are reports of other cases in the city, though they have not yet been confirmed.

This is not an issue for this government; it is a historical issue, but I do believe it is key that this government seek formulas that will allow us to obtain vaccines in Colombia more quickly in the future.”

Carlos Fernando Galan

Funding and strategy

President Petro asked the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI), and the Minister of Finance, to visit these companies responsible for the unfulfilled road construction contracts.

The aim is to determine their degree of non-compliance of these companies, “and, therefore, the fraud perpetrated on the nation with the help of public officials, filling the banks’ coffers.”

According the Petro, 9.6 million people will need to be vaccinated, and between 13 to 14 million vaccines needed.

Though Ecuador and Peru are also facing an explosion of the disease, and will require vaccines as well; increasing demand considerably.

“We will produce in Colombia,” the president said, “There are some laboratories, both public and private, but we have to move quickly, and we need money.”

Strengthening hospital in high-risk and medium-risk regions is also a priority.

The government has allocated the following funds:

• COP11 billion for the transportation of health equipment
• COP 139 billion to strengthen hospital infrastructure for 93 hospitals
• COP17 billion for general hospital support

According to the Minister of Health, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, more than one million vaccines have been administered since October 2024 .