February 9, 2015

Condoms scarce in teen pregnancy-plagued Venezuela

Condoms are the latest item to become scarce—and costly—in Venezuela.

Once easy to find, condoms disappeared from pharmacy shelves as the year started, along with many food and .

Public health workers worry the shortage could worsen Venezuela's already of HIV and teen pregnancy.

Venezuela has the second-highest teen pregnancy rate in South America, after Guyana, according to World Bank statistics.

Merchants have begun selling condoms on the black market, using a website that is the Venezuelan equivalent of Craigslist. On Monday, a 24-pack of Durex condoms was going for $317 at Venezuela's official exchange rate, or $10 at the more widely used black market rate.

© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Condoms scarce in teen pregnancy-plagued Venezuela (2015, February 9) retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-02-condoms-scarce-teen-pregnancy-plagued-venezuela.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Venezuela asks Twitter to block accounts posting dollar rate
6 shares

Feedback to editors
New approach for developing cancer vaccines could make immunotherapies more effective in acute myeloid leukemia

9 hours ago
Drug targeting RNA modifications shows promise for treating neuroblastoma

9 hours ago
Researchers discover compounds produced by gut bacteria that can treat inflammation

9 hours ago
A common type of fiber may trigger bowel inflammation

10 hours ago
People with gas and propane stoves breathe more unhealthy nitrogen dioxide, study finds

10 hours ago
Newly discovered mechanism of T-cell control can interfere with cancer immunotherapies

10 hours ago
Scientists discover new immunosuppressive mechanism in brain cancer

10 hours ago
Birdwatching can help students improve mental health, reduce distress

11 hours ago
Doctors describe Texas dairy farm worker's case of bird flu

11 hours ago
Pan-cancer analysis uncovers a new class of promising CAR T–cell immunotherapy targets

11 hours ago
Load comments (0)