The Wright Stuff

By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

After seeing a significant rise in malaria in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in recent years, between January and May 2020, the malaria situation in Venezuela, and elsewhere in the Americas is characterized by a reduction in the number of confirmed cases compared to the same period of the previous year.

Image/Robert Herriman

During the first five months of 2020, Venezuela has reported 104,000 malaria cases, according to official data from the Pan American Health Organization. This represents a 58 percent decrease from the same period in 2019.

The reduction in mobility due to transportation restrictions to endemic areas of the country, on account of the lack of fuel and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, are major factors
contributing to this reduction, the UN agency notes. There is concern, however, that these same factors may affect drug distribution, access to diagnosis, and case reporting in the short term.

In addition to Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico all reported decreases in malaria during this period.