The government of Ecuador announced on Apr. 9 an investment of more than USD 62 million for its national vaccination strategy, securing the purchase of 23.6 million vaccine doses and full supply for the regular immunization schedule in 2026.
Officials say this effort is led by Vice President María José Pinto and aims to reinforce the health system’s ability to respond quickly to regional alerts. The initiative includes maintaining a strategic reserve of supplies such as syringes and providing free vaccines that protect against over 20 diseases, including pneumococcus, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, measles, and yellow fever.
The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) has recognized Ecuador’s achievements by confirming its status in the “Sustained Elimination” category for measles and rubella. This recognition comes after successful implementation of vaccination programs and surveillance that have interrupted transmission nationwide.
Between January and March 2026, health authorities report positive results: over three million seasonal influenza doses administered with a coverage rate of 71.5%, nearly a quarter-million whooping cough doses given primarily to young children, almost one hundred thousand yellow fever vaccinations prioritizing Amazonian provinces and international travelers—with the vaccine conferring lifetime immunity—and more than two hundred thousand measles-rubella shots distributed across age groups at risk.
In response to alerts about measles cases in other countries, protocols like “Zero Dose” have been activated for children aged six to eleven months in border provinces such as Carchi, Esmeraldas, Sucumbíos, Orellana, Loja, Zamora Chinchipe, El Oro and Galápagos. Authorities are also verifying immunization records among people aged seven to twenty-six years without prior vaccination history.
Due to migration flows and increased travel related to global events like the World Cup season, the Ministry of Public Health recommends that international travelers receive necessary vaccines at least fifteen days before departure. In August 2025 several new vaccines were added nationally: hexavalent replacing pentavalent (now including polio protection), PCV13 expanding pneumococcal coverage against thirteen serotypes causing serious infections; human papillomavirus (HPV) now included for nine-year-old boys; TdaP offered during pregnancy; COVID-19 incorporated into annual schedules for vulnerable groups.
The Ministry urges families not to delay completing vaccinations at more than nineteen hundred health centers across Ecuador. Officials emphasize shared responsibility as essential: “Getting vaccinated today is a shared act of responsibility that guarantees a country free from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
