Colombia confirms malaria, not Ebola, in two travelers from Congo

Colombian health authorities confirmed that two citizens who returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo were diagnosed with malaria caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. The patients arrived in the Valle del Cauca region and showed febrile symptoms.

One patient, a 33-year-old man, died on October 31, 2026, at a hospital in Palmira. The second patient, aged 50, remains under isolation and medical care in Cali.

“Until now, the confirmed diagnoses in the two patients correspond to malaria.”

Authorities activated epidemiological surveillance protocols to rule out other public health diseases, including Ebola, due to the patients' travel history and symptoms. Samples were taken and laboratory analyses are underway.

The National Health Institute and the Ministry of Health stressed that, so far, the only confirmed diagnoses for both citizens are malaria. Epidemiological investigations continue to determine exposure backgrounds and possible contacts.

Health teams are verifying travel backgrounds and identifying people who may have had contact with the patients. The investigation also seeks to establish the places visited by the Colombians during their stay in Africa.