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The South American country is plunged into economic ruin and political chaos after nearly 20 years of price controls and strict policies launched by socialist leader Hugo Chavez. The crisis has deeply affected Venezuela's health system, whose experts have compared the current state to that of war-torn countries such as Syria and Yemen. Diseases such as measles and diphtheria, which could be contained by widespread vaccinations, have re-emerged in the country, exposing neighboring countries to contagion, as millions flee to Brazil and Colombia for a lifetime better.
In an article in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases: "The continuing epidemics of diphtheria and measles in Venezuela that are spreading in neighboring countries point to the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases in Syria and Yemen, as well as the resulting threat to regions and regions. potentially global, public health. "
Measles, a highly contagious viral disease that could be fatal, and diphtheria were supposed to be under control in Venezuela, but its chronic lack of medicines and vaccines and the general poverty of the country favored their return.
In addition, medical workers were among the millions of people who left the country, according to the document written by academics led by Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, a Venezuelan pathologist of infectious diseases.
READ MORE: Venezuelan crisis CALENDAR: What happened in Venezuela, when did the political MELTDOWN begin?
He said: "The mbadive exodus of about two million people from Venezuela since 2014, not only to Colombia, but also to Ecuador and Brazil, represents a permanent risk that diseases preventable by vaccination are carried with them. "
Venezuela now contributes nearly seven out of ten measles cases in the Americas, just 11 years after the country eliminated it.
Diphtheria, a potentially fatal disease affecting the nose, throat and sometimes the skin, was first noticed after 24 years in 2016.
And after new outbreaks of measles and diphtheria, researchers now worry about a possible return of polio, a debilitating disease.
The Emerging Infectious Diseases document states: "Combined with the weakening of surveillance programs, forced migration and a protracted political, economic and food crisis without predictable resolution, these factors have paved the way for a potential reemergence of polio.
The infectious disease causes paralysis of the legs and, more rarely, also weakens the muscles of the head, neck and diaphragm.
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