Colombia launched an ambitious public health initiative in September 2025. The National Elimination and Sustainability Plan targets 21 transmissible diseases and one related condition for eradication by 2031. This comprehensive strategy unites government agencies, universities, scientific societies, and health care professionals under one mission: “Science and collective action to advance toward elimination.”
Over 100 leaders gathered in Bogota on Sept. 16-17 to introduce the plan. Participants included representatives from 21 universities, the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation, medical associations, and foundations serving affected populations. This broad coalition demonstrates genuine commitment from stakeholders who understand public health challenges intimately and possess expertise to address them effectively.
The plan distinguishes itself through explicit emphasis on scientific rigor and evidence-based strategies. Rather than generic approaches, Colombia commits to data-driven investigation tailored to regional needs. Different regions face different disease challenges requiring place-specific solutions. This combination of scientific rigor with territorial awareness creates a framework with genuine potential for success.
Understanding Colombia’s 21 target diseases
The plan addresses diseases including measles, polio, rubella, mumps, and diphtheria, among others. Each disease presents distinct challenges requiring tailored elimination strategies. Some need improved vaccination coverage; others require better surveillance systems or treatment access. The plan’s strength lies in addressing each disease through appropriate, evidence-based approaches rather than applying identical solutions everywhere.
Colombia’s health care system has previously eliminated several diseases through coordinated efforts, proving ambitious elimination goals remain achievable. The new plan builds on this track record while expanding ambitions significantly. By consolidating efforts around coordinated strategy, Colombia avoids fragmentation that occurs when organizations work independently on similar problems.
Regional geography shapes implementation priorities. Colombia encompasses coastal areas, mountains, Amazon territories, and urban centers, each with distinct epidemiological patterns. Diseases prevalent in one region require different interventions elsewhere due to climate, population density, infrastructure, and cultural factors. The plan acknowledges these realities through territorial perspectives in elimination strategies.
The role of science and research in disease elimination
Disease elimination succeeds when strategy rests on solid evidence rather than assumptions. Academic groups and scientific societies contribute crucial expertise in understanding disease transmission, evaluating intervention effectiveness, and identifying emerging challenges. This research foundation transforms good intentions into successful outcomes.
Twenty-one universities across Colombia committed to active participation. These institutions educate future health professionals, conduct disease research, and serve as trusted evidence sources. By engaging universities directly, Colombia taps enormous intellectual resources while strengthening research capacity. This creates a cycle where universities become invested in public health outcomes and students experience real-world research impact.
The National System of Science, Technology and Innovation coordinates research activities across Colombia and connects scientific efforts to international networks. By involving this system formally, Colombia positions research institutions as central players in health strategy. Scientific findings flow directly into planning and implementation, ensuring decision-makers access latest evidence and adapt strategies quickly.
Building intersectoral partnerships for sustainable progress
Disease elimination requires collaboration beyond health sectors. Medical scientific associations mobilize thousands of practicing physicians supporting elimination efforts. Foundations representing affected populations provide crucial perspectives; people living with or at-risk from diseases understand barriers officials might overlook. These diverse voices keep the plan grounded in real-world realities.
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection provides governmental authority and resources. PAHO/WHO Colombia offers technical expertise and connects national efforts to regional and global best practices. Vice Minister Jaime Hernan Urrego emphasized the plan represents multisectorial effort honoring knowledge, evidence, and commitment to life.
International cooperation with PAHO provides access to expertise from similar elimination efforts across the Americas. Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, director of PAHO’s Department for Prevention, Control and Elimination of Transmissible Diseases, highlighted importance of scientific evidence and intersectoral cooperation while acknowledging genuine challenges elimination efforts must overcome.
Implementation, monitoring, and adaptive management
The plan’s success depends on strong implementation mechanisms. Academic and research communities directly participate in monitoring and evaluation processes, ensuring rigorous progress tracking. This transparency creates accountability; if strategies aren’t working, evidence reveals this quickly, allowing rapid adaptation before wasting resources on ineffective approaches.
Universities and research centers understand specific responsibilities within the broader plan. Rather than researchers operating independently, they work within coordinated framework ensuring efforts align with national elimination goals. This alignment strengthens research-practice connections often frayed when research operates in isolated academic settings.
Sustainability represents critical consideration embedded throughout the plan. Disease elimination means nothing if progress reverses after five years due to weakened surveillance or fading commitment. By building the plan on intersectoral partnerships and academic engagement, Colombia creates enduring institutions and relationships. Universities continue training professionals; research institutions generate evidence; medical professionals remain prevention-focused.
Colombia’s evidence-based path to eliminated diseases
Colombia’s National Elimination Plan represents a milestone in science-driven public health commitment. By uniting universities, research institutions, government agencies, scientific societies, and affected communities, Colombia creates conditions where disease elimination becomes achievable. The plan moves beyond simplistic approaches; instead, it commits to rigorous investigation, evidence-based interventions, and adaptive management based on real results.
The diverse participation signals broad societal support. When universities, researchers, physicians, affected communities, and government agencies invest time in planning elimination efforts, real change becomes possible. For Colombians at risk from these diseases, this commitment offers genuine hope that prevention improves, treatments become available, and disease transmission ultimately stops.
True success depends on implementation. Will universities contribute research guiding strategy? Will scientific findings influence real decisions about resources? and, will partnerships endure when challenges emerge? Concrete indicators — declining disease cases, improved vaccination rates, reduced transmission, expanded treatment access — will verify whether science and collective action deliver actual benefits. The years 2025-2031 will reveal whether Colombia achieves this ambitious vision.