The Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the National Institute of Health (INS) epidemiological surveillance actions were implemented and follow-up in the department Cauca Valley this October 31, 2026.
The intervention originated after the identification of two Colombian citizens coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)who were diagnosed with malaria by Plasmodium falciparummotivating a field research to clarify travel history and possible chains of contagion.
It should be noted that the authorities asked “not to generate unnecessary panic”, because cases remain under investigation and, preliminarily, it is known that it would be malaria.
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Late diagnosis of malaria can be fatal. Photo:EL TIEMPO / iStock
Medical care and control actions in Cali and Palmira
- One of the affected patients, 33 years old, died on October 31 in a hospital institution located in the municipality of Palmyra.
- The second patient, 50 years old, remains alive, under isolation and receiving specialized medical care in the city of Cali.
The INS rapid response teams and the territorial authorities advance in field research in Cali and Palmira to determine the displacement sites in African territory and the risk exposures.
“The corresponding samples were taken and laboratory verifications are advanced“, he specified.
🔴 The Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the National Institute of Health (INS) report that epidemiological surveillance and monitoring actions are underway in Valle del Cauca, following the identification of two Colombian citizens from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who were diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. According to preliminary information, one of the patients, 33 years old, died on October 31 in a hospital in Palmira. The second, 50 years old, remains alive and under isolation and medical care in Cali.
— EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) November 1, 2026
Rule out other pathologies and follow up on contacts
Because both patients had feverish symptoms and recorded the travel history to the DRCthe authorities They proactively activated surveillance protocols to rule out other pathologies of global public health importance, including ebola virus.
The authorities stated that the corresponding samples are in the process of verification in the laboratory and that, to date, the only confirmed diagnosis in both cases it’s malaria.
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Immediate response teams from the INS and territorial health authorities carry out field work in Cali and Palmira. As a result of the initial investigation, the teams identified two other people that they reported having previous diagnosis of malaria and be receiving the respective treatment, to whom Due epidemiological monitoring is carried out.
The Ministry of Health and the INS maintain coordination with the Health Secretariats and the Health Services Providing Institutions (IPS) to ensure the sample processing and the application of the usual surveillance and response protocols to events of public health interest.
Luisa Fernanda Gutiérrez Henao
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