People in Venezuela Suffer from Malaria Outbreak and Drug Shortages

One recent morning in the Bolivar state of Venezuela, a forested region in the south of the country, five members of the Amanda Santa Maria family lined up in front of a modest local clinic hoping to receive malaria medication. All five of them had contracted malaria due to the bite of the disease-carrying mosquito. As the economic situation in Venezuela worsens daily, the country faces shortages of both medicine and doctors, and malaria is spreading. This is the second time in the past three months that Amanda has contracted malaria, and since she has not found suitable medication, she is using calming herbs for treatment. She says, "I don’t know if we are cursed or not, but the whole area is infected with malaria." This family, along with 500 others, waits under the scorching sun to hopefully receive medicine and treatment. It is reported that the deterioration of public health and sanitation in Bolivar state is a factor in the recent spread of malaria. This dangerous disease had been nearly under control in all of Venezuela by the late 1990s. The likely initial cause of the malaria outbreak is illegal mining in the area. Miners cut down forest trees and work in stagnant water ponds, which are suitable breeding grounds for malaria mosquitoes. Government statistics released earlier this year indicate that there were over 240,000 cases of malaria last year, a 76% increase compared to 2015, with most cases occurring in Bolivar state. Following the release of these statistics, the health minister was dismissed, and no new statistics on malaria incidence have been published since. Government agencies have refused to respond to Reuters' inquiries on this matter. The Deputy Health Minister of Venezuela, during a visit to Bolivar state in early November, stated that the malaria outbreak in this state would be brought under control within three months. He added that 32 people had died from the disease in just one week at the end of October. He said, "The reason for the deaths is that people know they are infected and are aware of the consequences of this disease but do not visit health centers in time." The government has not disclosed the total death toll so far. However, civil activists and doctors estimate that at least 200 people died from malaria last year, and the disease is now spreading to cities. Jose Felix Olta, a doctor and former health minister who is a government critic, says, "Many young men work in the mines, but their children and pregnant wives live in the cities, and this is the biggest problem because the entire family is at risk of infection." The regional office of the World Health Organization announced last month the transfer of over one million malaria medications to the region, but doctors say this number is insufficient. According to government agencies, to prevent the creation of a black market, patients must visit the local clinic each time to receive a pill during treatment. Nevertheless, due to the dire economic situation and severe shortages of basic goods in Venezuela, a black market emerges for every product and commodity. One miner working in illegal mines says, "In the mines, each malaria pill is sold for the price of one and a half grams of gold." Others have turned to traditional herbal remedies that have disinfectant properties, but these methods are neither a definitive cure nor do they alleviate people's concerns. One woman who was waiting in line in front of the modest local clinic said, "We will all die because there is no medicine or treatment available."