Infant mortality, malaria cases soar in Venezuela: government data

Venezuela’s infant mortality rose 30 per cent last year, maternal mortality shot up 65 per cent and cases of malaria jumped 76 per cent, according to government data, sharp increases reflecting how the country’s deep economic crisis has hammered at citizens’ health.The statistics, issued on the ministry’s website after nearly two years of data silence from President Nicolas Maduro’s leftist government, also showed a jump in illnesses such as diphtheria and Zika. It was not immediately clear when the ministry posted the data, although local media reported on the statistics on Tuesday. More…