About the Journal

On September 1, 1995, the Applied Epidemiology Service (SEA), of the Subdirectorate of Epidemiology and the National Reference Laboratory of the INS, issued the first bulletin called the Fortnightly Report of Cases and Outbreaks (IQCB), divided into three parts: presentation, dengue hemorrhagic fever in Colombia 1995 and first generation SEA graduation. To achieve this, there was the collaboration of SEA professionals and participants of the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP).

This publication arose from the need to keep interested parties informed about the occurrence of diseases and conditions of public health importance (1), in particular, information on outbreaks, emergencies, disasters and epidemiological surveillance analysis.

Its biweekly edition was published for thirteen months. As of November 15, 1996, after a brief interruption, the INS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, transformed the IQCB into the National Fortnightly Epidemiological Report (IQEN), including an editorial and the report of epidemics or outbreaks. This objective was to disseminate through publication “technical reports, articles, recommendations and news on epidemiological problems that directly or indirectly reflect the updated situation of health events in the country” (2).

Regarding its production, the number of articles decreased over the years, going from six articles every fortnight to only one from volume 16 to volume 23, issued in 2019.

At the thematic level, the main objective of the IQEN was to guide the timely publication and dissemination of epidemiological situations in order to promote their recognition, approach, monitoring and follow-up. Regarding its dissemination, the report was aimed at the general population, although due to its theoretical orientation it hoped to promote the special interest of the actors involved in the sanitary and epidemiological analysis in Colombia and the region. For its socialization, starting in 2001, the IQEN adopted the electronic format, through the INS website and in accordance with its information management policies and guidelines (2).

This transition process constitutes the initial step towards its consolidation as a publication of scientific manuscripts under the name of National Epidemiological Report - REN.