El Salvador

El Salvador is located on the Pacific Coast of Central America, surrounded by Guatemala and Honduras. It is the smallest country in Central America, the most heavily industrialized, and the only one that does not have a coastline on the Caribbean. It is a mountainous country poetically called the Land of Volcanoes—a geological happenstance that leads to frequent earthquakes, while its geographical location makes it vulnerable to tropical storms and hurricanes. In 1998, the remnants of Hurricane Mitch dumped an enormous amount of rain on the country, leading to massive flooding that killed 300 and left at least 30,000 homeless. The country has not been free from man-made disasters either: A civil war from 1980 to 1992 took the lives of more than 75,000 Salvadorans before peace was declared.

El Salvador has a population of 6.82 million and is growing at 1.72 percent annually. The birth rate is 26.61 births per 1,000 people and the death rate is 5.78 per 1,000 people. The migration rate is minus 3.61 migrants per 1,000. An estimated 3.1 million Salvadorans are living outside the country.

Although the country has a well-developed industrial sector, the economy remains poor. Almost 17 percent of the Gross Domestic Product in 2005 came from remittances, money wired back into the country from emigrants. The agricultural sector has been hit by droughts, deforestation, soil erosion, and the collapse of world coffee prices.

Per capita income in $4,700 a year, but 32 percent of the population live below the poverty line. The country recently entered into the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which it hopes will revitalize the country's economy.

Average life expectancy at birth is 67.88 years for males and 75.28 years for females; healthy life expectancy is 57.2 for men and 62.36 for women. Infant mortality is 24 deaths per 1,000 live births. Another 28 of every 1,000 children die between the ages of 1 and 5. Maternal mortality is 150 deaths per 100,000 live births. Sixty-eight percent of women receive prenatal care and 92 percent have a trained attendant present at delivery.

The Salvadoran diet is based on rice and beans, and small cornmeal cakes called pupusas, which are filled with farmer's cheese, beans, and fried pork fat or other meats. Even with the addition of local fruits and vegetables, this diet lacks essential vitamins and nutrients.

A quarter of Salvadoran children are malnourished. There has been a concerted effort to increase childhood immunizations, and common diseases such as measles and polio have been all but eradicated in recent years. Civil war, natural disasters, and the search for work outside the country has led to 180,000 children under the age of 17 living as orphans.

About 82 percent of the population have clean water to drink and 63 percent have access to sanitary facilities. Nevertheless, common waterborne and communicable diseases are under control within El Salvador, with only sporadic outbreaks of illnesses such as cholera. Leprosy is becoming increasingly rare.

Salvadorans are more likely to die in accidents; from heart disease, cancer, and pneumonia; or in natural disasters than from an infectious disease. There is a nationwide monitoring network in place to deal [Page 590]with outbreaks; for example, dengue fever—both classic and hemorrhagic—broke out in 2006 and triggered a massive government response to stem the spread of the illness. Tuberculosis is on the rise, with 60 cases per 100,000 people. The HIV/AIDS rate is 0.7 percent, with 30,000 people living with the virus and 2,200 having died since it first emerged. Studies have shown that 89 percent of the cases were sexually transmitted, and the government has launched education campaign across the country.

...