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POLICY AND PRACTICE REVIEWS article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Disaster and Emergency Medicine

Volcanic eruptions and public health in Ecuador: an analysis of institutional gaps and integrated strategies

Provisionally accepted
Katherine Simbaña-RiveraKatherine Simbaña-Rivera1,2*Damary S. Jaramillo-AguilarDamary S. Jaramillo-Aguilar1Jhon Paul Guerrero-GonzalezJhon Paul Guerrero-Gonzalez1Ruth Jimbo-SotomayorRuth Jimbo-Sotomayor1Xavier SánchezXavier Sánchez1Maurizio MulasMaurizio Mulas3Luis D. BoadaLuis D. Boada2
  • 1ECUAVOLCAN Research Group, Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina, CISeAL, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
  • 2Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
  • 3Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador

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Ecuador, a country with high volcanic activity, faces substantial public health risks from frequent eruptions. This review examines the health impacts of recent volcanic events and assesses the national health system's preparedness and response capacity. Through a critical review of public policies, current regulations, Ministry of Public Health interventions, its inter-institutional coordination and local experiences, this review identifies persistent gaps in governance, operational continuity, primary care, epidemiological surveillance, and risk communication. Both acute and chronic health effects are highlighted, alongside limitations in reaching vulnerable populations. The article proposes an integrated approach grounded in geological, biomedical, and social sciences, framed within the One Health paradigm. Strategic recommendations are presented to strengthen institutional capacity, secure essential resources, and develop a national research agenda on volcanic risk and health. Reducing health impacts require evidence-based policymaking, intersectoral coordination, and sustained community engagement.

Keywords: Risk Management, Environmental hazards, Public Health, healthcare systems, Volcanoes, Ecuador

Received: 16 Sep 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Simbaña-Rivera, Jaramillo-Aguilar, Guerrero-Gonzalez, Jimbo-Sotomayor, Sánchez, Mulas and D. Boada. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Katherine Simbaña-Rivera

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material