Violence vs. Health

Here's the lead, from a Reuters article: Violence in the slums of Rio de Janeiro is thwarting efforts to combat an outbreak of the dengue fever, which has killed two people and sickened more than 400 in the last six weeks, officials said on Tuesday.

"There are temporary suspensions of inspections in some slum areas with various types of conflicts," a city health spokeswoman said. "That is done in order not to put in danger the lives of inspectors and residents."

Globo newspaper quoted residents of Vigario Geral, one of Rio's most violent slums, as saying they had not received a single dengue inspection since 2004, despite numerous requests for inspectors.

The sad thing here is that officials working on important projects like this are welcomed in the favelas, particularly if they work in mutiroes--mutual aid groups sponsored by the favela residents. Police raids and gang wars are not everyday occurences, so it should be possible, working through residents associations, for the inspectors to get there. If they don't want to go, favela residents should vote the current administration out.