How Direct Relief and FedEx Are Helping Fight Disease Outbreaks in Colombia

In Colombia, the fight against disease outbreaks is reaching a critical point—and the collaboration between Direct Relief and FedEx is helping make a tangible difference.

For nearly a decade, Direct Relief has been working alongside the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to deliver essential medical aid across Central and South America, responding to the unique challenges each community faces. This longstanding relationship has allowed both organizations to adapt quickly when health emergencies arise, like the recent surge in yellow fever cases.

From January through May 2025, Colombia saw an eightfold increase in yellow fever cases compared to the year before, and the situation was further compounded by rising cases of dengue. As healthcare providers scrambled to manage these outbreaks, they faced a major obstacle: transporting disease samples to testing facilities. In a country as vast as Colombia, where rural communities are far from urban health centers, samples often spoil during the long journey to labs. Cold chain storage typically lasts only 48 hours, and after that, the results are no longer usable.

To address this, Direct Relief acted swiftly, sending ultra-cold freezers to Colombia to ensure that samples remained viable for testing. These freezers play a crucial role in enabling healthcare workers to identify and treat patients before outbreaks spiral out of control. But delivering these freezers to the farthest corners of Colombia requires a reliable and efficient delivery network. That’s where FedEx’s logistics expertise comes in. FedEx has long supported Direct Relief’s efforts to get critical medical supplies where they’re needed, and this delivery of ultra-cold freezers is no exception.

The shipment of 10 freezers in June is just the latest example of how Direct Relief and FedEx work together to respond to South America’s most pressing health challenges. This collaboration highlights the power of a well-established, flexible supply chain that can adapt in real time to address urgent needs.

By leveraging Direct Relief’s expertise and FedEx’s global logistics, communities in Colombia are receiving the support they need to fight these outbreaks head-on, making a real impact in the battle against disease.

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