Preliminary assessments indicate damage to health facilities in the departments of Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, Cauca, and Quindío. Reported impacts include structural and non-structural damage to hospitals and clinics, as well as damage to water storage and supply systems.

PAHO/WHO has maintained coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the National Institute of Health, and departmental and local authorities to support health needs assessments and ensure the continuity of essential health services. The organization has strengthened coordination with humanitarian organizations and other health sector partners through the Colombia Health Cluster.

To assist with these efforts, PAHO/WHO has deployed teams to Cali and Chocó, including specialists in emergency coordination and response, epidemiology, health services, information management, and communications. The agency also requested a rapid mapping of available capacities among partners and convened an extraordinary meeting to review the situation and agree on priority actions.

Dr. Ana Rivière Cinnamond, PAHO/WHO Representative in Colombia, met with Minister of Health and Social Protection Ana María Vesga and other health authorities to review the health situation and coordinate response activities. "Our priority is to help ensure that affected communities continue to have access to essential health services while supporting authorities in identifying and addressing the most urgent needs," Cinnamond said.

Why It Matters

The deployment of technical expertise follows established patterns of international health response to seismic events in the region and globally. Research titled "Haiti: PAHO/WHO Technical Cooperation in the aftermath of the earthquake 2010: Mental Health" was published in the PsycEXTRA Dataset, documenting previous cooperation efforts. Additionally, research titled "WHO Leads Health Cluster in Response to Pakistan Earthquake: PAHO Deploys Technical Expertise" was published in 2005 in the PsycEXTRA Dataset.

The scale of the current response involves multiple government levels and international partners to address infrastructure damage and service continuity. The earthquake struck western Colombia with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó, affecting a broad geographic area across six departments. Coordination through the Colombia Health Cluster allows for the alignment of resources among humanitarian organizations and health sector partners.

Timeline

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, 2026, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó, according to the Colombian Geological Service. On August 25, 2026, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), began providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities to support the health response following the earthquake.

Also on August 25, 2026, Dr. Rivière Cinnamond met with Minister of Health and Social Protection Ana María Vesga and other health authorities to review the health situation and coordinate response activities.

What's New

Further reporting indicates that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are providing technical cooperation to support the health response, with assessments and coordination efforts ongoing in the affected areas. Dr. Rivière Cinnamond, PAHO/WHO Representative in Colombia, stated that PAHO/WHO is working closely with the Ministry of Health, local health teams, and partners to support the response and help protect the health of affected communities. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, 2026, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó, according to the Colombian Geological Service.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the specific framing of the technical cooperation provided. Another source specifies that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), is providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities to support the health response following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

There is also a difference in the description of PAHO support for the health response. One version notes that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), is providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities to support the health response following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake. Another account quotes Dr. Rivière Cinnamond, PAHO/WHO Representative in Colombia, stating that PAHO/WHO is working closely with the Ministry of Health, local health teams, and partners to support the response and help protect the health of affected communities.