• An international effort, the result of several months of technical work with the MSP and with the support of the Vice Presidency of the Republic, will allow an estimated 247,374 people to be vaccinated. The days start on October 28 and prioritize Galapagos, Morona Santiago, Esmeraldas, Manabí and Guayas.

Quito, October 21, 2026.– The Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil announced, together with the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), the donation of 300,000 doses of Gardasil 9, the vaccine that protects against nine types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), valued at USD 100 million. With them, an estimated 247,374 people will be vaccinated in territories prioritized for their vulnerability, in an intervention scheduled between November 6 and January 30, 2027.

This donation is the result of several months of technical and disciplined work that the Board undertook with one of its international donors, in coordination with the National Directorate of Immunizations of the MSP and with the support of the Vice Presidency of the Republic, and which culminated in its selection as the awardee of this batch.

Why it is important for the country

HPV prevention is one of the public health interventions with the greatest impact against cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 95% of cervical cancer cases are due to persistent infection with this virus, and the available evidence shows that high-risk genotypes circulate in Ecuador and maintain a relevant relationship with this disease.

Today, the MSP’s regular schedule vaccinates 9-year-old girls and boys every year with a vaccine that protects against four types of the virus. Gardasil 9 extends this protection to nine types (6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58), seven of them associated with different types of cancer, and can be applied to women and men between 9 and 45 years of age. Its incorporation could have a substantial impact on reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in the country.

How it will be applied

The intervention combines age schemes, in accordance with the guidelines of the MSP: one dose for those between 10 and 14 years of age, and three doses for those between 15 and 45 years of age. With this strategy, the 300,000 doses will reach an estimated 247,374 people.

The deployment will be progressive. The immunization teams will travel to each territory in 5-day days and, at the end, will move to the next, until the vaccination goal is completed, with priority given to children and adolescents aged 10 to 14 years. The complementary national distribution will be carried out according to the MSP’s planning.

Which territories will it reach

The initial territories are Galapagos, Morona Santiago (Taisha canton), Esmeraldas, Manabí and Guayas. They were selected with a prioritization criterion based on social and epidemiological vulnerability, considering the gaps in access to health services, geographical dispersion and the conditions that make it difficult for preventive interventions to arrive on time.

“This donation is the result of several months of work and international management that the Board decided to assume because prevention goes further when it anticipates the disease. But getting the vaccines is only the first step. We are going to accompany its application together with the Ministry of Public Health so that this aid reaches those who need it most effectively,” said Juan Xavier Cordovez Ortega, director of the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil.

For his part, the Minister of Public Health, Juan Carlos Aveiga, said: “On behalf of President Daniel Noboa and as the highest authority of the Ministry of Public Health, our sincere thanks to the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil for the donation of 300,000 doses of vaccine against the human papillomavirus, in its nonavalent formulation. Thank you for joining an effort that transcends institutions and that has people, families and the future of our country at its center,”

“Preventing cancer begins long before the disease appears, and timely vaccination is one of the actions that allows us to move in that direction,” added the authority.

The Board will accompany the process as an overseer, guarantor and adjuvant, providing technical capacity, human talent, logistics and immunization equipment of its health network, in coordination with the MSP, the health authority responsible for implementation.

With this initiative, the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil reaffirms a mission that it has maintained for 138 years: to mobilize resources, add allies and turn solidarity into concrete actions that protect the health of the most vulnerable Ecuadorians, joining efforts between the public and private sectors.

Key facts

• Donation: 300,000 doses of Gardasil 9, valued at USD 100 million.
• Scope: estimated 247,374 people.
• Protection: nine types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58).
• Population: 10 to 45 years old (the vaccine can be applied from 9 years old).
• Schedule: one dose from 10 to 14 years old; three doses from 15 to 45 years old.
• Initial territories: Galapagos, Morona Santiago (Taisha), Esmeraldas, Manabí and Guayas.
• Dates: from November 6 to January 30, 2027, with 5-day days per zone.

About the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil

Founded in 1888, the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil is a private non-profit institution that supports hospitals and social programs in health, education, nutrition and care for vulnerable populations, with a direct and indirect impact on more than 3.7 million people