Published on Friday, October 24, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

A 29-year-old U.S. citizen has been discharged from a public hospital in Costa Rica after fully recovering from yellow fever, the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS) reported.

Health authorities stated that the woman, whose name has been withheld under patient privacy regulations, represents the country’s first confirmed case of yellow fever in nearly 70 years.

Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the Flaviviridae RNA virus. Common symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pain, particularly in the back, and headaches. Most patients recover within about five days, but severe cases can cause abdominal pain, liver damage, jaundice, bleeding disorders, and kidney complications.

According to health officials, the woman arrived in Costa Rica on Wednesday, Oct. 8, after traveling from Peru. She told doctors she had begun experiencing cold-like symptoms the day before her trip.

Because she arrived from Peru, airport officials did not require proof of yellow fever vaccination, as the current requirement applies only to travelers arriving from Colombia.

Under Costa Rican regulations, yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for anyone traveling from Costa Rica to Colombia, including residents and tourists. The vaccine must be administered at least 10 days before departure. Travelers arriving from Colombia must also present proof of vaccination.

A few hours after her arrival, the woman sought care at a private hospital after developing symptoms consistent with yellow fever. Doctors suspected the disease and sent samples to the National Institute for Research in Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA), which later confirmed the diagnosis.

She was then transferred to a public CCSS hospital, where she remained under specialized care and observation until Tuesday, when she was discharged after making a full recovery.

Health authorities said the woman had been traveling with another female U.S. citizen who had been vaccinated against yellow fever. That traveler tested negative for the virus following laboratory testing.

Officials recommended, but did not mandate, the yellow fever vaccine for travelers visiting high-risk destinations such as Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and several African countries.

Recently, Costa Rica launched its fourth free yellow fever vaccination campaign. However, certain groups are contraindicated for the yellow fever vaccine, including children under 6-8 months, individuals over 60 years old, pregnant or breastfeeding women, those with severe immunosuppression (including symptomatic HIV), and those with hypersensitivity to vaccine components.

The Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS) oversees the country’s public health services.

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