Green advocates applauded Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in April, when he sent troops into the southern state of Bolívar to break up illegal gold mining operations that were causing deforestation and mercury poisoning along the tributaries of the Orinoco River. (See “Chávez dispatches troops to stop illegal gold miners”—EcoAméricas, May ’10.) But with hundreds of camps destroyed and more than 10,000 miners driven from their mining pits, an unintended consequence has emerged: malaria. Health Ministry statistics published in June reveal that the cases of malaria nationwide doubled in the first six months of the year, from around 11,000 cases to around 22,000, with more than 90% of the cases in Bolívar. Authorities attribute the outbreak to the operation that has driven illegal miners from... [Log in to read more]