Venezuela is experiencing “dramatic surges” in diseases as its health system is in “utter collapse,” The Telegraph reports.
Human Rights Watch and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are set to release a report on the state of Venezuela’s health system on Thursday. They interviewed doctors, health personnel, refugees and representatives of various humanitarian organizations about the conditions in the country, and concluded that the United Nations ought to declare a humanitarian emergency and begin a major aid effort.
Over 2,500 cases of measles have been reported since June 2017. Only a single case was recorded between 2008 and 2015.
"Venezuela did not experience a single case of diphtheria between 2006 and 2015," the report adds, "but more than 2,500 suspected cases have been reported since July 2016."
The report notes that almost nine in ten Venezuelans with HIV were not getting treated for the disease, and that this lack of medication existed prior to the sanctions imposed by the U.S.
"Venezuelan authorities under [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro have concealed the official health information,” the report reads. “They have harassed and retaliated against those who collect data or speak out about food and medicine shortages.”
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