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Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) is the causative agent of typhoid fever; a systemic disease affecting ~20 million people per year globally. There are little data regarding the contemporary epidemiology of typhoid in Latin America. Consequently, we aimed to describe some recent epidemiological aspects of typhoid in Colombia using cases reported to the National Public Health Surveillance System (Sivigila) between 2012 and 2015. Over the four-year reporting period there were 836 culture confirmed cases of typhoid in Colombia, with the majority (676/836; 80.1%) of reported cases originated from only seven departments. We further characterized 402 S. Typhi isolates with available corresponding data recovered from various departments of Colombia through antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular subtyping. The majority (235/402; 58.5%) of these typhoid cases occurred in males and were most commonly reported in those aged between 10 and 29 years (218/402; 54.2%); there were three (0.74%) reported fatalities. The overwhelming preponderance (339/402; 84.3%) of S. Typhi were susceptible to all tested antimicrobials. The most common antimicrobial to which the organisms exhibited non-susceptibility was ampicillin (30/402;7.5%), followed by nalidixic acid (23/402, 5.7%). Molecular subtyping identified substantial genetic diversity, which was well distributed across the country. Despite the diffuse pattern of S. Typhi genotypes, we identified various geographical hotspots of disease associated with local dominant genotypes. Notably, we found limited overlap of Colombian genotypes with organisms reported in other Latin American countries. Our work highlights a substantial burden of typhoid in Colombia, characterized by sustained transmission in some regions and limited epidemics in other departments. The disease is widely distributed across the country and associated with multiple antimicrobial susceptible genotypes that appear to be restricted to Colombia. This study provides a current perspective for typhoid in Latin America and highlights the importance of pathogen-specific surveillance to add insight into the limited epidemiology of typhoid in this region., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction: Homicide is a universal indicator of social violence with large public health consequences., Objectives: To describe mortality by homicides and to analyze its trends and geographic distribution in Colombia between 1998 and 2012., Materials and Methods: We conducted a descriptive study of deaths by homicide in Colombia between 1998 and 2012 using official mortality databases and the population projections of the Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística, DANE. We calculated age- and sex-specific mortality rates, and we analyzed the geographical distribution of mean-adjusted homicide mortality rates at municipal level., Results: Between 1998 and 2012, 331,470 homicides were reported in Colombia. The mean crude rate was 51.5 per 100,000 inhabitants: 95.9 in men and 8.2 in women. Since 2003, a decrease in the number of deaths and rates was observed; 91.9% of the victims were men and the highest mortality rates were reported in the 20-29 years old group. The most frequently involved mechanism was the firearm: Eight of 10 homicides in men, and seven of 10 homicides in women. Out of 1,122 municipalities, 186 were in the highest quintile, accumulating 50.1% of all deaths., Conclusions: In Colombia, homicides have been one of the leading causes of death with a trend towards reduction since 2002. Its geographical distribution has been heterogeneous. To continue addressing this public health issue we must recur to multidisciplinary analytical methodologies for a better understanding of the phenomenon.

Introduction: Dengue in Colombia is an important public health problem due to the huge economic and social costs it has caused, especially during the disease outbreaks. , Objective: To describe the behavior of dengue mortality in Colombia between 1985 and 2012. , Materials and Methods: We conducted a descriptive study. Information was obtained from mortality and population projection databases provided by the Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) for the 1985-2012 period. Mortality rates, rate ratios, and case fatality rates were estimated. , Results: A total of 1,990 dengue deaths were registered during this period in Colombia. Dengue mortality rates presented an increasing trend with statistical significance between 1985 and 1998. Higher mortality rates were reported in men both younger than 5 years and older than 65 years. Between 1995 and 2012, category 1 to 4 municipalities reported the highest mortality rates. Case fatality rates varied during the period between 0.01% and 0.39%. , Conclusion: Dengue is an avoidable disease that should disappear from mortality statistics as a cause of death. The event is avoidable if the proposed activities from the Estrategia de Gestión Integrada (EGI)-Dengue are implemented and evaluated. We recommend encouraging the development of an informational culture to contribute to decision making and prioritizing resource allocation.