Venezuela Malaria Cases Jump by 69%

Health experts have warned that malaria cases in Venezuela jumped by an estimated 69% last year, expressing concern over the spread of the disease in the country and other parts of Latin America. The figure was released by the World Health Organization on Tuesday, on the eve of World Malaria Day, Aljazeera reported. According to the UN health agency’s estimates, cases of malaria in Venezuela rose from to 240,613 in 2016 to 406,000 in 2017. The current figures are around five times higher than the 2013 ones for the mosquito-borne disease. “What we are now seeing is a massive increase, probably reaching close to half a million cases per year,” Pedro Alonso, director of WHO’s global malaria program, told reporters on Tuesday.  Venezuelan migrants fleeing the economic and social crisis are carrying the mosquito-borne disease into Brazil and other parts of Latin America, WHO said, urging authorities to provide free screening and treatment regardless of their legal status to avoid further spread.