Goal 6. Ecuador

Goal 6: Ecuador
Jerry Carter, Lauren Cosgrove, Andrew Driscoll and Alyssa Malone

Photo Credit: Hannah Lynch

           Ecuador has a relatively low HIV infection rate of 0.4 percent, which amounts to 37,000 people total (World Fact book 2013).  President Rafael Correa and his administration has declared that they aim to make fighting HIV a priority, but with such a low prevalence rate the amount of resources dedicated to fighting the epidemic could be very limited.  HIV tests are available through La Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana (the Ecuadorian Red Cross) and they cost more than fifty dollars.  All pregnant women who seek medical attention must take a mandatory HIV test, free of charge.  If the tests are positive, all Ecuadorians are guaranteed access to treatment (La Cruz Roja 2011).

           The in-country Quito office of the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has two specific objectives that fight HIV/AIDS.  Their first is to fight the stigma that is associated with HIV/AIDS.  In many other countries, the most mobile and economically marginalized people are more prone to become infected with the virus.  Similarly, people living with HIV/AIDS in Ecuador are often invisible because the virus usually affects concentrated areas and historically stigmatized groups.  Communities with the highest incidences of HIV are those who live on the borders of Ecuador, within refugee communities, and members of the army.  Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador with a population exceeding 3.3 million, has the highest prevalence rate in the country.  Secondly, UNESCO emphasizes the importance of training sex-education teachers and people to initiate more effective media campaigns.  In Ecuador sex-education is not a part of the national curriculum; the subject is covered outside of class time.  However, in August 2010 the government released a new family planning strategy that hopes to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy (UNESCO 2011).

            In Ecuador, a country where more than two-thirds of the population is Catholic, birth control usage is low.  However most recently, UNESCO has promoted condoms as the most effective way to prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.  The majority of UNESCO’s budget for their HIV campaign and education sector comes from entities such as UNAIDS and the Global Fund.  Thus far, Ecuador has been approved for $53 million to combat health issues like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (The Global Fund 2013).  UNESCO relays that proper funding is crucial for global compliance and implementation of combating MDG 6.  In Ecuador, there is still much to do before success of MDG 6 can be declared.

            The MDGs suggest that the spread of HIV be completely stopped by 2015, which Ecuador will not accomplish.  The government promises universal access to medication but does not offer free testing (unless you are a pregnant women) or sex education during school hours.  Because of this and the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS for marginalized groups, Ecuador is currently on track to fail MDG 6.

            In terms of malaria and other diseases, according to the National Secretary of Planning and Development, incidence rates have dropped dramatically (SENPLADES 2010).  In 2000 the worldwide rate of malaria for every 100,000 people was 767, and in 2009 that number dropped to 27.  The highest numbers of cases are in the Amazonian region, which the Ecuadorian government blames on limited health infrastructure and sanitation capabilities.  In the coastal and Andean regions of the country, malaria is almost entirely eradicated.