of Ecuador: a public health emergency Miguel San Sebastián1 and

umu.se Oil is a major source of income for Ecuador and since the 1970s has been the “engine ” of the nation’s economy. Before the 1970s oil price boom, Ecuador was one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Since then, oil production has been the primary cause of Ecuador’s economic growth, which has av-eraged 7 % annually. Per capita income rose from US $ 290 in 1972 to US $ 1 200 in 2000. Today, oil con-tinues to account for 40 % of the nation’s export earnings and of the budget of the national Govern-ment (1, 2). Most of this oil comes from the north-eastern part of the country, the Amazon basin. The Amazon basin of Ecuador, known as el Oriente (the provinces of Sucumbios, Orellana