It is our intention that this Web journal of our workshop experiences serve to increase the understanding towards the impact of Tropical Diseases on the lives of people living in Developing countries.   The pages linked on the right contain images and stories of our travels and what have we learned while in Ecuador.

Tropical Disease Biology Workshop
 Ecuador 2000

For information about upcoming programs visit
the Workshops page or e-mail grijalva@ohiou.edu

 Description of the program:

The objective of this multidisciplinary adventure is to gain a deeper understanding of the complex factors that play a role in the biology of Tropical Diseases. The high prevalence of these diseases is not the real problem but just a consequence of a large number of issues that come together to create a propitious environment for the spread of disease. These include public health aspects, quality and availability of health care delivery systems, blood supply safety, economical development issues, socio-economic conditions of the population, education, legislation, geography and climate, epidemiological and biomedical research, etc.

During two weeks the participants had first hand exposure to the splendor, the diversity and the contrast offered by this Tropical Andean country. Participants learned to see beyond the "lens of the camera" into the harsh reality in which the majority of the population of developing countries lives. During the trip we visited several health care facilities, ranging from modern, well-equipped institutions to provincial public hospitals, health centers and a rain forest Shaman, to rural areas were there is no health care available. We examined public health issues related to water management, waste disposal, and vaccination campaigns in urban and rural communities located both in the Andean Valleys and in the tropical regions of the country.

• The Ecological Perspective. This involves activities such as visiting known foci of tropical diseases; exploring primary and secondary rainforest; and collecting and identifying arthropod vectors of pathogenic microorganisms.
• The Clinical Perspective. This involves activities such as visiting urban and rural hospitals and observing the signs and symptoms of tropical diseases firsthand; visiting blood banks; and visiting diagnostic & research laboratories and institutes.
• The Public Health Perspective. This involves observation of sanitary infrastructure, waste disposal, water treatment, electricity; conversations with public health officials and public health personnel; visiting the Ministry of Health and having a discussion with personnel in the Epidemiology section; Conversations with voluntary relief organizations, etc.
• The Social/Economic/Political Perspective. This involves activities such as visiting cities and rural villages to observe how water, waste, food, and other resources are or could be managed with regard to disease prevention; meeting with personnel of international agencies, e.g. USAID and PAHO (Pan-American Health Organization); and so on.