Ricardo Izurieta

University of South Florida, Global Communicable Diseases, Faculty Member

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Ricardo Izurieta, MD, Dr.PH, MPH is Professor and Director of Global Communicable Diseases at College of Public Health and Director of the Public Health Scholar Concentration at Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr. Izurieta received his MD from the Central University of Ecuador and after graduation, carried out his postdoctoral training in Public Health and Tropical Infectious Diseases at University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA), Emory University (USA), and Universidad Cayetano Heredia (Peru). In 1991, he faced the cholera epidemic that spread through Latin American countries as National Director of the Cholera Control Program in the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador. In 1997, he was appointed Chief of the Department of Epidemiology and Director of The Vaccine Center of the Armed Forces of Ecuador. During his studies, he has been a USAID Thomas Jefferson Fellow, a PAHO Research Fellow, an ORISE/CDC Fellow, a Gorgas Memorial Institute Fellow, and a FUNDACYT Fellow. In 2003, Dr. Izurieta was elected Vice President of the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventive Medicine and currently he is its Latin American Liaison. He has been Panel Reviewer for NIH, CDC, and NSF, Wellcome Foundation, and also served on the ACAIM Taskforce on International Health Security, and Consultant for the United Nations Global Water Pathogens Project
Address: Tampa, United States

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Papers by Ricardo Izurieta

Medical students’ dietary habits: Motivations and barriers to reaching health goals

Journal of family medicine and primary care, May 1, 2024

Analysis of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and response on routine childhood vaccination coverage and equity in Northern Nigeria: a mixed methods study

BMJ Open, Sep 30, 2023

Background Based on 2021 data, Nigeria had the second largest number of zero-dose children global... more Background Based on 2021 data, Nigeria had the second largest number of zero-dose children globally estimated at over 2.25 million, concentrated in the northern part of the country due to factors some of which are sociocultural. This study analysed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and response on childhood vaccination in Northern Nigeria. Methods Using a mixed methods sequential study design in the most populous northern states of Kaduna and Kano, quantitative routine immunisation data for the period 2018-2021 and qualitative data collected through 16 focus group discussions and 40 key informant interviews were used. An adaptation of the socioecological model was used as a conceptual framework. Mean vaccination coverages and test of statistical difference in childhood vaccination data were computed. Qualitative data were coded and analysed thematically. Results Mean Penta 1 coverage declined in Kaduna from 69.88% (SD=21.02) in 2018 to 59.54% (SD=19.14%) by 2021, contrasting with Kano where mean Penta 1 coverage increased from 51.87% (SD=12.61) to 56.32% (SD=17.62%) over the same period. Outreaches and vaccination in urban areas declined for Kaduna state by 10% over the pandemic period in contrast to Kano state where it showed a marginal increase. The two states combined had an estimated 25% of the country's zerodose burden in 2021. Lockdowns, lack of transport and no outreaches which varied across the states were some of the factors mentioned by participants to have negatively impacted childhood vaccination. Special vaccination outreaches were among the recommendations for ensuring continued vaccination through a future pandemic. Conclusion While further interrogating the accuracy of denominator estimates for the urban population, incorporating findings into pandemic preparedness and response will ensure uninterrupted childhood vaccination during emergencies. Addressing the identified issues will be critical to achieving and sustaining universal childhood vaccination in Nigeria.

Ricardo Izurieta

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