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RE: My First Post

It is a devastating situation for the people of Venezuela, particularly Bolivar to not be supplied with the medication needed to fight malaria! Thanks for pointing out the importance of preventative public health and environmental health measures to combat the burden of malaria in Venezuela. It is so important to maintain the basic procedures that have been successful, such as distribution of mosquito nets and repellents to the population.

The financial burden on the country's economy is significant because there are flow-on effects. While it is resource-intensive and costly to procure and distribute the medication for treatment of malaria and also conducting the fumigation you mentioned, the reduced productivity of the nation as many people are likely to be too sick to work is a key consideration. In turn, the nation's economy would be weakened due to reduced foreign trade.

Thus, it is in the government's interest to address the short-term effects of the outbreak to protect the health of their people by spending the money required on treatment and preventative campaigns. However, as you alluded to, whether the country can afford to provide their people with treatment and prevention is where it becomes a crisis... I hope to address the issue of developing countries being in debt to developed countries in my future blogs.

Thanks for sharing your perspective of the malaria outbreak in Venezuela. Great to hear that Venezuelans are remaining strong and have hope!