Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - October 19, 2004
"In 10 or 15 years, if there isn't important prevention work, we are going to have a frightening epidemic, starting on the coast and spreading to the entire country," Paul Martin, a U.N. Children's Fund representative, told reporters.
"In certain zones on the coast in Guayas the levels of AIDS infections are approaching levels reached 10 years ago by Africa and the Caribbean," he said, during a press conference called by the world body to draw attention to the problem. Those two areas are reeling from the spread of the HIV virus.
He said the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS has budgeted US$14 million for Ecuador, but added that Ecuadorian officials have been slow to define the role of programs to fight the spread of the disease.
The coastal Guayas province, home to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city with 3.3 million people, is where 80% of the country's AIDS cases are concentrated, said Mauricio Valdez, the U.N.'s coordinator in Ecuador.
According to Ecuador's Health Ministry, there are between 4,800 and 5,000 reported AIDS cases in a country of 12 million people. The number of unreported cases, however, could be as high as 50,000.
"In the last few years, there has been a 'feminization' of the problem, as opposed to other countries where it is predominantly" centered in the male population, said Miguel Machuca, a representative of the Pan American Health Organization.
"In Ecuador's case, the situation is becoming more alarming because of the predominance of infections in women and children," Machuca said. "This means the epidemic is advancing out of control."
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