Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection, headed by Ana María Vesga, announced on September 15 that a new imported case of measles had been detected in the Amazonas department, in the country’s southern jungle region bordering Peru and Brazil. This marks the 15th case linked to international travel recorded in Colombia so far in 2026, though officials stressed the virus has not spread within the country.
The patient is a 2-year-old boy from Peru whose vaccination history is unknown. He lives in the community of San Isidro, in Peru’s Loreto region, and crossed into Colombian territory before being treated at a health facility in Leticia, the capital of Amazonas department. He later traveled to Tabatinga, Brazil, a border town, where he remains isolated and under medical observation by Brazilian health authorities.
Citing a rise in measles cases across the Americas—a trend the Pan American Health Organization has already flagged with an epidemiological alert—Colombian health officials urged residents to make sure their vaccinations are up to date, isolate suspected cases promptly, and seek medical care immediately if symptoms appear. So far this year, Colombia’s imported measles cases have originated in Peru, Mexico, the United States, and Panama, in addition to cases tied to broader chains of transmission.
For more details, check out the original report from El Tiempo.
Source: Ministerio de Salud confirmó nuevo caso importado de sarampión en Colombia, en el departamento de Amazonas (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: theglobalpanorama, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).