Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 20 February 2026

KEY FIGURES

• 251K people affected by ongoing flooding and landslides in Colombia
• 200% increase in child recruitment and use by armed groups in Haiti in 2025
• 3M people forecast to face IPC 3+ hunger in Guatemala between February - April 2026

COLOMBIA: FLOODING

Severe flooding, landslides and atypical rainfall continue to affect communities across Colombia. As of 13 February, the weather has affected more than 251,760 people (71,626 families) across 22 departments and 148 municipalities. Córdoba remains the most impacted, with 167,700 people (53,400 families) affected and 80 per cent of the department inundated. More than 11,000 people are sheltering in 82 active temporary shelters. Widespread damage to roads and bridges across the region is limiting access to services and constraining response efforts. Humanitarian partners report urgent needs for food, safe water, shelter materials, WASH supplies, health services and protection support, particularly in communities in Córdoba and Urabá, where flooding is overlapping with ongoing conflict.

GUATEMALA: FOOD SECURITY

Acute food insecurity remains critical in Guatemala, with up to 3 million people (16 per cent) projected to face crisis levels of hunger or higher (IPC 3+) between February–April 2026, including nearly 250,000 in emergency food insecurity (IPC 4). The Dry Corridor, Alta Verapaz and the Highlands are expected to remain in crisis (IPC 3) through May due to three consecutive years of staple‑grain losses, depleted reserves, high maize prices and rising indebtedness, driving negative coping strategies such as asset sales and atypical migration. Consequently, acute malnutrition remains a major concern, with more than 2,800 new cases reported in the first four weeks of 2026, a 15 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025. World Food Programme, who are facing a 92 per cent funding shortfall for crisis response requirements for February - July 2026, are appealing for additional and flexible humanitarian funds to address the surge in humanitarian needs.

HAITI: VIOLENCE & CHILD PROTECTION

A new UN human rights assessment highlights the worsening impact of armed violence on children in Haiti, documenting systematic trafficking and exploitation driven by coercion, threats, sexual violence and the deliberate targeting of highly vulnerable families. Children are forced into violent activities, subjected to sexual exploitation and made to undergo initiation practices designed to isolate them from their families and ensure control. In 2025, child recruitment and use by armed groups skyrocketed by approximately 200 per cent, according to UNICEF, with children now estimated to make up 30-50 per cent of armed groups, some as young as 9. Between January 2022 and December 2025, 806 children were among 26,188 people killed or injured, underscoring the scale of harm to minors.

REGIONAL: DENGUE

Dengue transmission across the Americas remains elevated at the start of 2026, with 122,090 cases - including 22,409 confirmed cases, 242 severe dengue cases and six deaths - reported as of epidemiological week (EW) 4. Although overall transmission in 2025 fell by 66 per cent compared to 2024’s historic regional peak, circulation of all four dengue serotypes persists across several countries, particularly Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama and Puerto Rico. Early 2026 increases have been observed in Bolivia (4,067 cases), Colombia (9,383 cases, two deaths), Ecuador (945 cases), Peru (4,344 cases, three deaths) and Brazil (62,707 suspected cases), patterns that mirror the seasonal uptick typically recorded in the first weeks of each year. PAHO urges countries to maintain strengthened surveillance, reinforce clinical management capacity and intensify vector control measures in high‑risk areas to prevent complications and avoid overwhelming health services.