El Salvador and Costa Rica have become the first countries in the Americas to issue digital yellow fever vaccination certificates in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Digital Health Certification Network standards. This milestone highlights the region’s leadership in adopting digital health innovations, although the traditional paper certificate remains necessary for entry into certain countries while WHO completes consultations on digital certificate implementation.
The achievement was made possible through both countries’ commitment to digital health transformation and regional initiatives such as the Pan American Digital Health Roadmap, promoted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Technical support, including national and regional connectathons facilitated by the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Digital Health (RACSEL), strengthened each country’s ability to issue internationally recognized digital vaccination certificates.
Javier Guzmán, Chief of the Health, Nutrition, and Population Division at the IDB, emphasized that this progress demonstrates how regional cooperation and digital infrastructure can transform access to health services. Yellow fever and polio certificates are the only health documents recognized internationally under the International Health Regulations (2005), with 2024 amendments enabling their issuance in digital or paper format to ensure authenticity, data protection, and global validity.
Marcelo D’Agostino, PAHO’s head of Information Systems and Digital Health, noted that robust digital health infrastructure will allow people in the region to travel without duplicate vaccinations or paperwork, advancing more equitable and efficient healthcare. Digital certificates also improve global public health security by providing real-time data for governments, optimizing resources, reducing costs, and preventing irregular practices such as informal markets for health certificates.
Yellow fever, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne viral disease, can be prevented with a single lifelong vaccine dose. As of early November 2025, Latin America reported 295 human cases and 122 deaths across six countries. The digital certificate initiative forms part of the Pan American Highway for Digital Health (PH4H), a collaborative project by the IDB, PAHO, and Latin American and Caribbean countries to build safer, more connected, and resilient health systems.
Within the Global Digital Health Certification Network, the PH4H initiative established a trust domain to allow member countries to recognize and validate digital health certificates issued according to international standards. El Salvador and Costa Rica’s success sets a continental benchmark and motivates other countries to advance toward more connected and accessible healthcare systems. The IDB and PAHO recognized these achievements at the PH4H event in San Salvador, where twelve additional countries joined the Global Digital Health Certification Network’s PH4H domain, expanding regional cooperation in digital health.
The Pan American Highway for Digital Health is supported by the Government of Japan, and the IDB continues to promote innovative, sustainable, and inclusive development solutions across Latin America and the Caribbean.
