A/HRC/41/18 queuing for food. Local sources reported some women being compelled to exchange sex for food. 15. In addition to hyperinflation and economic contraction, the economic and social policies adopted over the past decade have undermined food production and distribution systems, increasing the number of people who rely on food assistance programmes. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported that 3.7 million people in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were malnourished, and the non-governmental organization Caritas confirmed particularly high levels of malnutrition among children and pregnant women.7 B. Right to health 16. The situation regarding the right to health in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is dire. Interviewees consistently described health-care infrastructure that has been declining for years, hallmarked by an exodus of doctors and nurses, unsanitary conditions and severe shortages in basic medical equipment, supplies and medicines. Families of patients have to provide all necessities, including water, gloves and syringes. Reports point to shortages of between 60 and 100 per cent of essential drugs in four major cities, including Caracas. 8 17. Moreover, previously controlled and eliminated diseases, including vaccinepreventable diseases such as measles and diphtheria, have re-emerged. In the past year, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization, the authorities have implemented a series of vaccination strategies aimed at interrupting the circulation of measles.9 The authorities indicated that during June 2019, no new cases of measles had been reported. 18. There is a lack of access to all types of contraceptives, with several cities facing a 100 per cent shortage. 10 This increases the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and of unwanted and adolescent pregnancies. The rate of adolescent pregnancies has increased by 65 per cent since 2015. 11 This impacts girls’ right to education, with pregnancy being the primary reason girls drop out of school. Owing to restrictive legislation on abortion, some women and girls must resort to unsafe abortions. This has contributed to an increase in preventable maternal mortality, with an estimated 20 per cent of maternal deaths reportedly linked to unsafe abortions. 12 A lack of skilled birth attendants and medical supplies, as well as inadequate hospital conditions, have driven many women to give birth abroad. 19. The National Hospital Survey (2019) found that between November 2018 and February 2019, 1,557 people died owing to the lack of supplies in hospitals. 13 Blackouts have caused irreparable harm, as evidenced by reports that indicate that 40 patients died as 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Panorama de la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional en América Latina y el Caribe 2018 (FAO, OPS, WFP y UNICEF, 2018); Caritas Venezuela, “Monitoreo de la situación nutricional en niños menores de 5 años”, bulletins of April– July 2018, July–September 2018 and October–December 2018. Red Venezolana de Gente Positiva; www.mavidcarabobo.org.ve; Federación Farmacéutica Venezolana, http://fefarven.org.ve/portal/; CONVITE X La Salud, “Monitoring of access to health in Venezuela”, newsletter of 20 March 2019. Pan American Health Organization, “Venezuela intensifica su campaña de vacunación contra el sarampión y la difteria”, 10 March 2019. Magdymar León Torrealba, “Índice de escasez de métodos anticonceptivos en farmacias de cinco ciudades de Venezuela”, December 2018; CONVITE X La Salud, “Monitoring of access to health in Venezuela”, newsletter of 20 March 2019. Information provided by the United Nations Population Fund; see also www.unfpa.org/maternalhealth. Ibid and AVESA et al., “Salud sexual y reproductiva de mujeres, adolescentes y niñas en Venezuela”, 2018, p. 34. Médicos por la Salud, “Encuesta Nacional de Hospitales 2019”, available from www.encuestanacionaldehospitales.com.