Ecuador

A child waits with his mother in front of a clinic in Ecuador. IMCI is working to improve clinical care for children under five. Children play in the high country north of the capital. The cold climate here contributes to increased respiratory infections among children.

OVERVIEW

Though one of the smaller countries on the South American continent, Ecuador has a wide range of terrain. This includes coastal beaches, the Andes mountains and Amazon jungle. The child mortality rate for Ecuador is five times worse than the child mortality rate in the United States.

IMCI PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMING

-Clinical Training

The Ecuadoran Ministry of Health has provided clinical IMCI training to doctors, nurses and other health care professionals for improved diagnosis and treatment of diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and malnutrition. Assistance for this training comes from a number of organizations, including the Pan American Health Organization and the American Red Cross.

-Community IMCI Projects

Colta

Colta is located in the Andes mountains of Chimborazo province in central Ecuador. The population of the area is approximately 16,100.

Community groups are organizing efforts to improve child health through:

• Continual education and outreach about the prioritized 16 Key Family Practices to strengthen communities, local organizations and health promotion networks.
• Improved personal and household hygiene for individuals, including emphasis on healthy food preparation.
• Organizing a community system to monitor maternal and child health.

Tena

Tena is located in the province of Napo in northeastern Ecuador. The population of the area is approximately 2,700.

Community groups are organizing efforts to improve child health through:

• Educating families and communities to identify warning signs of the prevalent childhood illnesses and seek appropriate care when needed.
• Implementing a system of referral and counter-referral between health facilities and the community.
• Improving the health services in coordination with the local health network and community groups.

Pujili

Pujili is located in the province of Cotopaxi in central Ecuador. The population of the area is approximately 58,000.

Community groups are organizing efforts to improve child health through:

• Improved use of the area's food resources, with priority given to children and pregnant women.
• Improved knowledge among families about protective and preventative measures for children's health, including recognition of illness warning signs and the necessity of seeking appropriate medical attention.
• Improved integration and coordination among public and private health services in the community.

-Additional Projects

• Additional American Red Cross programming that supports IMCI methodology in Ecuador includes:

• The American Red Cross is working through the Ecuadoran Red Cross to bring humanitarian relief-clean water and improved sanitation-to Colombian refugees. The project also provides medical assistance and pre-hospital care for the sick and injured and establishes health posts in areas with high concentrations of refugees.

Vital Statistics for Ecuador
Human Development Ranking (out of 162 nations)	84
Population	13,183,978
Population growth rate	2.00%
Infant mortality rate	34.08 deaths/1,000 live births
Under-five mortality rate	35 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth	71.33 years
Total fertility rate	3.12 children born/woman
Maternal mortality ratio	160 deaths/100,000 live births
HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate	0.29%
People living with HIV/AIDS	19,000
HIV/AIDS deaths	1,400
GDP per capita	$2,900
Population living on $1 a day	20.2
Population living below national poverty line	50%
Population without access to safe water	29%
Population without access to adequate sanitation	41%