Department of Bioengineering: UC Berkeley- Namibia, Summer 2006

A group of bioengineers are traveling to Ecuador to investigate the use of a novel, easy-to-use, disposable microdevice for screening Dengue Fever. The CDC recently identified Dengue Fever as the most important mosquito-borne viral disease in the world, with over 2.5 billion affected. The proposed point-of-care microdevice is under development in the Luke Lee lab. The device combines a well characterized bead-based capture assay with a cost-efficient, fast, and sensitive detection system, making it ideal for the developing world. Due to the hight rate of Dengue in rural locations in Ecuador, it has been identified as an excellent country for implementing a portable, low-cost diagnostic instrument. The group wil visit hospitals and clinics in Quito, Guayaquil, and Borbon as they assess the feasibility of implementing their device for Dengue diagnosis.

Day 21-22: Introduction to ‘la ceniza’ Administrator - 31 Aug 06

Nick and Tanner visit a small village that has been affected by a recent volcanic eruption to see if they can offer some help.

Day 20: The most important meeting of the trip ecuador - 31 Aug 06

We meet with a Ministry of Health director, and finally get a clear picture of the health care organization

Day 19: Back to Quito ecuador - 30 Aug 06

We head back to Quito a little early to avoid a potential strike by the Qichuan Indians.

Day 18: Badly bruised but still alive ecuador - 23 Aug 06

A bike ride at 11,000 ft. and some good old fashioned shopping.

Day 17: The putt heard round the World ecuador - 23 Aug 06

Team Ecuador sets out for a trip to the Indian village of Otavalo. Again we make a straight forward trip into an event.

Day 15-16: A little R&R ecuador - 23 Aug 06

Chilled in Quito for a couple days to recoup. To our amazement when we returned Anat had finished writing 1/2 of the report. Efficiency at its best. Go team.

Day 14: The long ride back from the Jungle ecuador - 23 Aug 06

3 cities, 2 clinics, 1 boat ride and 2 bus rides = 1 crazy 16 hr tour of Ecuador.

Day 13: “Where’s the pool” ecuador - 23 Aug 06

We find out where a point-of-care diagnostic will work best in the rural villages along the Cayapas river in Northern Ecuador.

There are 3 ways to deal with being trapped in a remote mosquito infested village:
(1) Pass out ASAP - Susie
(2) Imbrace it by befriending locals - Tanner
(3) Pretend you are somewhere else. You can withstand any amount of pain for 48 hours - Nick.

Day 12: Barbie does Borbon ecuador - 23 Aug 06

A trip to the remote tropical regions of Ecuador with our good friend Barbie.

Day 10: meeting with SNEM ecuador - 14 Aug 06

SNEM stands for the "Servicio nacional de eradicacion de malaria"

They fumigate streets and houses against vector borne illnesses. We are received in a military style lineup of the drivers, all wearing the uniforms and hardhats.

Day 7-9: Vamos a la playa ecuador - 14 Aug 06

An Ecuadorian holiday equivalent to our independence day was celebrated this weekend. As a result, no hospitals or institutuions were open for us to meet with. So, ‘vamos a la playa.’’ We get a little R&R. And we bring a laptop and get a little work done.

Day 6: INH ecuador - 14 Aug 06

We received an amazing tour of the INH.

Day 5: Flight to Guayaquil & intro to INH ecuador - 14 Aug 06

5:00 am wakeup call, “que bueno”.

Day 4 part deux : Last day in Quito ecuador - 14 Aug 06

I saw it happening in slow motion. Repeating ‘brakes, brakes, brakes’ over and over with increasing volume and tempo didn’t help.

Day 4: last day in Quito for a while ecuador - 08 Aug 06

We woke up bright and early to the smell of pancakes

Day 3: Universidad de San Francisco de Quito ecuador - 07 Aug 06

We awake to a phone call requesting a meeting.

Day 2: Visiting the city of Quito ecuador - 07 Aug 06

We (Anat, Susie, Tanner, Mae and Nick) travelled through the city of Quito today. We visited many of historical and architectural landmarks.

Day 1: Arriving in Quito ecuador - 07 Aug 06

The team arrives in Quito to a warm welcome, and Nick temporarily loses his passport.

Introduction to Team Ecuador ecuador - 04 Aug 06

Anat Caspi, Tanner Nevill, Nicholas Toriello and Susie Welty (Master of Public Health student) are traveling to Ecuador under a project funded by the Berkeley-MOT UNIDO fellowship. Understanding the health care system in a developing country as well as the barriers to adoption of new diagnostic technologies are two key goals of the trip.