Notifiable events in Colombia
- System and programme
They are the diseases, deaths and situations every provider must report to SIVIGILA, each with its own INS protocol and form.
What it is
An event of public health interest is one the Ministry of Health considers important for collective health because of its frequency, severity, epidemiological behaviour, preventability, cost-effectiveness of interventions and public interest. Mandatory notifiable events are defined in INS protocols, which set the case definition, how often to notify and the control actions. They include communicable and noncommunicable diseases, deaths, poisonings and risk factors.
How it is organised
- Case definition by level: suspected, probable and confirmed (by laboratory, clinical picture or epidemiological link).
- Frequency: weekly for all; immediate for priority events (for example, extreme maternal morbidity, outbreaks of health care-associated infections, or bites by animals that can transmit rabies).
- Mandatory weekly negative notification for events such as cholera, diphtheria, yellow fever, acute flaccid paralysis, rubella and measles.
- Case-review units for avoidable deaths, such as maternal and perinatal deaths.
Worked example
- A made-up IPS sees, in one week, 3 cases of dengue without warning signs and 1 pregnant woman with extreme maternal morbidity.
- The 3 dengue cases go into the weekly notification; the extreme maternal morbidity is notified immediately.
- Before notifying, the pregnant woman receives immediate care and is directed to her care pathway: life comes first.
- If the same IPS had no cases of measles or acute flaccid paralysis, it says so in the negative notification.
Groups of events with examples
| Group | Examples | Why it is watched |
|---|---|---|
| Vaccine-preventable | Measles, rubella, diphtheria, whooping cough, acute flaccid paralysis | To maintain elimination and eradication; to detect vaccination gaps |
| Vector-borne | Dengue, malaria, Zika, chikungunya, Chagas, leishmaniasis | Seasonal outbreaks and vector control |
| Maternal and perinatal | Maternal death, extreme maternal morbidity, perinatal death, congenital syphilis | Avoidable deaths and quality of care |
| Water- and food-borne | Cholera, foodborne disease, hepatitis A, typhoid fever | Outbreaks from water and food |
| Noncommunicable and other | Suicide attempt, acute malnutrition, childhood cancer, poisonings, snakebite | Early action on the case and its setting |
Markers
- EISP
- Notification form
- INS protocol
- Suspected case
- Negative notification
In practice
- Notification is mandatory for every member of the system that generates information of public health interest.
- For an event that threatens life (extreme maternal morbidity, acute malnutrition, poisoning), care is secured first and notification follows.
Reference norms
- Decree 3518 of 2006, article 3 (definitions) and article 20 (mandatory notification), compiled in Decree 780 of 2016.
- INS public health surveillance protocols and notification forms.
- INS national guidelines for public health surveillance, updated every year.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which criteria make an event one of public health interest?
Its frequency, severity, epidemiological behaviour, preventability, cost-effectiveness of interventions and public interest.
Where are the case definition and notification frequency of each event set?
In the public health surveillance protocols and notification forms published by the INS.
Which maternal and perinatal events are notifiable?
Maternal death, extreme maternal morbidity and perinatal and late neonatal death; also congenital syphilis.
Must laboratory confirmation be awaited before notifying a suspected case?
No: it is notified with the protocol's suspected or probable case definition; the final classification is updated later in the system.
Elsewhere in DurgiPedia
Connections
Educational content on epidemiological and statistical methods; the examples use made-up numbers to teach the calculation. Not a clinical or legal guide: current Colombian rules are in the official sources.
Sources: Decreto 3518 de 2006 (Departamento Administrativo de la Función Pública, Colombia (Gestor Normativo), 2006); Fichas y Protocolos | INS (Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS), Colombia, 2026); Lineamientos nacionales para la vigilancia en salud pública 2026 (vigilancia basada en eventos predefinidos) (Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS), Colombia, 2026).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.