Death of all sorts is coming:

Shortages and a crumbling economy have forced Venezuelans to change their eating habits; many are losing weight and battling malnutrition.

Venezuela’s political and economic crisis has done deep and lasting damage to its population’s health. In the past year, 74.3 percent of the population has lost weight — an average of 8.7 kilograms (19 pounds) per person – because of food scarcity, according to a recent study by three of Caracas’ largest universities (UCAB, USB and UCV) and the nonprofit Bengoa Foundation…

Since the beginning of the Hugo Chávez era, importers in Venezuela have required approval from the government to exchange the local currency, the bolívar, into dollars to bring products into the country, and have had to do so at a rate that overvalues the bolívar. When oil prices dropped in 2014, the Maduro administration tightened this control, causing a significant decrease in imports and more inflation. Today’s scarcity and malnutrition are a direct consequence of these policies…

Residents told AP that they’ve found oats, sunflower seeds, and pig feed at a landfill in Puerto Cabello where the military gets rid of rotten food (above)…

Franyelis, a 9-year-old girl from Yare, was diagnosed with severe malnutrition (AQ has blocked her face in compliance with laws pertaining to the depiction of minors in Venezuela). Franyelis’ mother said their diet consists of root vegetables. If they have breakfast, they don’t have lunch, she said. Franyelis started falling below the expected weight for her age when she was six months old and her condition has continued to deteriorate in the past years….

Severe malnutrition in children under 5 years old increased from 8.9 percent in the last trimester of 2016 to 10.2 percent in the first period of 2017, according to the Cáritas study. The World Health Organization considers this level of malnutrition critical. Above, a boy in Yare shows what a typical meal looks like for him and his family.

Juliani is also from Yare. Juliani’s mother is now receiving milk formula from Cáritas to treat her daughter’s malnutrition, which is critical…

By the end of this year, 380,000 children will suffer of malnutrition, a study by the Central University of Venezuela found.