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WORLD NEWSThursday 11 February 2016

In Central America, gangs an obstacle in battle against Zika

C. SHERMAN companying a fumigation have advised women to To get into Cuscatancingo, being intimidated by gang-
Associated Press team in greater San Salva- put off pregnancies for two on San Salvador’s outskirts, sters.
CUSCATANCINGO, El Sal- dor was shot dead by mara years due to severe birth a reporter met a local resi- “When this clinic reopened,
vador (AP) — For health members after they lifted defects tentatively linked dent outside town and trav- it reopened with fear,” Me-
workers battling Zika across his shirt and, according to to the virus. The country has eled there in his car, which jia said.
much of Central America, local media reports, found also launched a campaign would not raise the gangs’ Whenever a suspected
the immediate menace he had a tattoo from a ri- against the Aedes aegypti suspicions. case of Zika is identified,
is not the mosquitoes that val gang. Similar incidents mosquito, relying on ag- Approaching the Villa Mari- the Villa Mariona clinic tries
transmit the virus. It’s the have played out in neigh- gressive fumigation and ona government health to send teams into the area
clinic, the driver rolled to look for others with fever
Soldiers show a mosquito larva found during a fumigation campaign against the Aedes aegypti down the vehicle’s win- and to destroy mosquito
mosquito in the La Comuna 2 neighborhood of Guatemala City. Soldiers worked to protect health dows so a group of young breeding areas. Mejia said
workers from armed and well-organized street gangs known as maras that exert near-total con- Mara Salvatrucha gang- workers from another clinic
trol over entire neighborhoods. In some cases, gangs deny access to health crews they suspect sters in low-hanging jeans, in Cuscatancingo have
of working with police or a rival gang. gelled hair and plaid shirts been denied entry at times.
could see who was inside. Eduardo Espinoza, vice
(AP Photo/Moises Castillo) One asked what was go- minister of health, said such
ing on, and whether the re- incidents are sporadic.
gangsters who control the boring Honduras and in the removal of standing porter had cameras. When “We haven’t had any sig-
streets, and sometimes Guatemala, where fumiga- water and refuse where its a police foot patrol came nificant trouble except in
threaten their lives. tors are chased by thugs, larvae can breed. up the street, a teen shout- some areas, specifically in
Armed and well-orga- assaulted or charged a But El Salvador, a coun- ed “Policia!” into his radio the metropolitan area,” Es-
nized street gangs known small tax for access. try of just 6 million people, and the youths ran. pinoza said.
as maras exert near-total “The state is absent” in recorded more than 700 Several years ago, the clin- In Guatemala, fumigators
control over entire neigh- such areas, said Carlos murders in January and ic was forced to shut down planned to go into one
borhoods, using sentries to Carcach, a criminologist had a homicide rate of 103 for several months because Guatemala City neighbor-
track everyone who comes with the Superior School of per 100,000 inhabitants last staff members were being hood last week but locals
and goes. In some cases, Economics and Business in year, believed to be the extorted, according to Nel- warned it was too danger-
they deny access to health El Salvador. “The state is be- highest of any country not son Mejia, Villa Mariona’s ous, said Sergio Mendez,
crews they suspect of work- ing replaced by the gang.” in open war. sanitation coordinator. He fumigation coordinator for
ing with police or a rival More than 7,000 suspected That’s the environment in and the then-director met the health ministry.
gang. cases of Zika have been which government health with gang members to ex- “We don’t ask for help from
In 2014, an emergency identified in El Salvador, workers struggle to contain plain why it was important the police or the army to
medical technician ac- where government officials Zika. that they work there. Gang enter an area, because
members asked that their later they go and carry out
people get prompt treat- raids,” Mendez said. “And
ment at the facility then we have to go back. The
agreed to allow operations people think we reported
to resume under a wary them.”
truce. But there have been Gangs can also hamper
more incidents. the fight against Zika and
Gang members beat up other public health efforts
and took away a man in less-direct ways.
working on a local water Fear of the maras leads
project for the health min- many residents to refuse
istry. Once, when a clinic to answer the door or let
employee was going door- health workers inside. Of
to-door for a health project, the nine suspected Zika
a gang member called to cases in the area served
warn that he should leave by the Villa Mariona clinic,
immediately because he only five have been identi-
was suspected of being a fied because people refuse
cop. Another worker on a to share relatives’ phone
fumigation mission left after numbers or addresses.q

Venezuela malls scale back hours as government cuts energy

FABIOLA SANCHEZ p.m. to 9 p.m. let myself become unem- of the most violent in the Electricity here is virtually
Associated Press Dozens of mall workers and ployed at this point, with world. In many areas, they free, giving Venezuelans
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) would-be shoppers waited everything getting so ex- are also the only places to little incentive to conserve.
— Shops in malls across out the closure at a shop- pensive.” see movies. The government tried a
Venezuela closed their ping center in upscale Ca- Officials say the measure Venezuela has grappled similar policy in 2010, but
doors Wednesday after- racas Wednesday. They will help the economically with blackouts for years, rolled it back after patrons
noon to comply with a gov- complained about the embattled country cope including one that took put up stiff resistance. This
ernment electricity ration- new policy, which comes with problems at hydro- President Nicolas Maduro time, many shoppers seem
ing order. amid a general economic electric plants due to a by surprise as he delivered resigned.
Venezuela’s socialist gov- breakdown that has led severe drought caused by a national address on live
ernment is asking more to chronic shortages and the El Nino weather phe- television. Caracas oc- “Nothing about this sur-
than 100 malls to close or triple-digit inflation. nomenon casionally shuts down be- prises me,” teacher Rosa
generate their own power “I need my salary,” fast Malls have become a ha- cause of citywide loss of Velasquez said. “Every day
four hours each day, from 1 food restaurant manager ven for Venezuelans as the power and rural areas see now something happens to
p.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 Yorgenis Tovar said. “I can’t country has become one regular rolling blackouts. make life here worse.”q