[5] In May 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) made an emergency announcement of the existence of a multi-country outbreak of mpox, a viral disease then commonly known as "monkeypox".

[13] On 16 May, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed four new cases with no link to travel to a country where mpox is endemic.

The disease had been circulating and evolving in human hosts over several years before the outbreak and was caused by the clade IIb variant of the virus.

[20] On June 23, 2022, the Colombian Ministry of Health confirmed three cases of mpox, specifically two in the city of Bogotá and one in Medellín.

[29] On August 1, the Mayor's Office of Cali City opened a hotline to receive information when a person reports suspected cases of this disease.

[32] After the first case was detected in La Guajira, health authorities in the neighboring department of Cesar increased their alert.

The department's health secretary, Guillermo Girón, indicated that prevention measures should be increased due to the proximity to La Guajira.

[34] On the same day, the first case was registered in the department of Tolima, specifically in the capital city of Ibagué, of a person who had traveled to the United States.

[38] On August 15, the first case was confirmed in the city of Cúcuta, capital of the department of Norte de Santander, in a man who had traveled to Mexico and the United States.

[43] On August 31, the José María Córdova airport carried out the first simulation in the country in order to deal with contagions of the disease.

[49] In August 2022, the Colombian government requested from the Pan American Health Organization the vaccines to immunize the country's population.