Ecuador's Health Risks Include Yellow Fever

The Republic of Ecuador has been exposed to a wide range of zoonotic pathogens that have a significant impact on the population's health and the overall economy.
Recent disease outbreaks, such as yellow fever, rabies, hantavirus, and highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1), have disrupted the health system of this South American country.
For example, the number of yellow fever cases reported in South America so far in 2025 represents a threefold increase compared to the cases reported in 2024.
Since the beginning of 2025 and as of early May, four confirmed fatal cases of yellow fever have been reported in Ecuador, from the provinces of Morona Santiago (one fatal case) and Zamora Chinchipe (three fatal cases).
These conditions led Ecuador to establish priority surveillance, prevention, and control strategies for potential outbreaks of animal-borne diseases.
In response to these conditions, with technical support from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, specialists from the Ecuador Ministry of Public Health, and others announced on June 2, 2025, they are working to prioritize zoonotic and emerging diseases to obtain a list that would provide the country with clarity in the implementation of surveillance and control tasks for these pathologies.
To alert international visitors, the U.S. CDC has included Ecuador in various disease outbreak alerts.
The CDC recommends yellow fever vaccination for travelers aged 9 months or older traveling to areas below 7,550 feet in elevation, east of the Andes Mountains, in the provinces of Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Sucumbíos, Tungurahua, and Zamora-Chinchipe.
As of June 3, 2025, the YF-Vax vaccine is generally not recommended for travel to areas with an elevation below 7,550 ft.
The vaccine is required for most travelers arriving from Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Uganda, including those with 12-hour airport transits or layovers in any of these countries. But not those arriving from the U.S.
Located on South America's Pacific Ocean, Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Province, about 600 miles west of the mainland.
This travel vaccine, along with others, is commercially offered at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.
Our Trust Standards: Medical Advisory Committee