Country Ambassadors

Jeannet Zurita

Dr.Jeannete Zurita, Jefa del Servicio de Microbiología y tuberculosis (Chief of Microbiology and Tuberculosis Lab), Hospital Vozandes, Quito Email: On request
View the Fungal burden of disease in Ecuador: This was presented as a poster at ECCMID 2015 conference and the data has now been published Zurita 2017.
NOTE: As preparation of the Global Fungal Infection Forum 4 on health systems and fungal diseases held in September 2019, the burdens of serious fungal infections were estimated for all Latin American countriesEnglish Spanish
How have you helped GAFFI so far: We have estimated the national burden of fungal infections. Preliminary data will be presented as an abstract in XVII Congress of Asociación Panamericana de Infectologia (API) in May 2015 in Quito Ecuador.
Personal comment on the major needs in Ecuador which GAFFI should be addressing:

  • We need to work on surveillance and diagnosis of opportunistic and endemic invasive fungal infections. We should consider a mandatory national registry of fungal infections using ICD10.
  • To educate and improve programs of medical mycology at universities.
  • Have enough funds for research in fungal diseases and establish interdisciplinary research groups in this discipline.
  • Training laboratory personnel in the diagnosis and identification of fungi.
  • Have reagents and laboratory supplies to reasonable costs and facilitate theirimportation.
  • Develop molecular techniques to identify fungi.
  • Having antifungal drugs at reasonable prices.
  • Having liposomal amphotericin.
  • Develop postgraduate programs to familiarize physicians with fungal infections.
  • Develop a national monitoring network of candidemia.

Links to key fungal/global health institutions in Ecuador:
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública e Investigación www.investigacionsalud.gob.ec
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador www.puce.edu.ec
Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Microbiología www.microbiologiaecuador.com
Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Infectología. www.facebook.com/sociedadinfectologia/