India, April 17 -- The Colombian government has declared a national health emergency late Wednesday following a sharp rise in yellow fever cases.
Since the beginning of last year, the outbreak has led to 74 confirmed infections and 34 deaths, according to Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo.
Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. While preventable by a vaccine, the current surge has raised serious public health concerns.
Health officials are urging citizens to get vaccinated ahead of the Easter weekend, a period when many Colombians travel to warmer regions where mosquito populations, and thus the risk of transmission, are higher. The yellow fever vaccine is provided free of...