WHO Raises Alarm on Disease Outbreaks in Quake-Hit Venezuela

The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern on Tuesday about potential disease outbreaks in Venezuela, where local health services are overwhelmed after deadly earthquakes.

“The health services are under extreme pressure now, with facilities operating beyond their capacity,” spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a press conference in Geneva, noting a surge in trauma cases.

The latest official count reports approximately 1,700 dead and 5,000 injured, with no government figures on the number of missing. Other estimates place these numbers in the tens of thousands.

The WHO also highlighted difficulties in adequately registering casualties and tracking missing persons following the 7.5- and 7.2-magnitude earthquakes last Wednesday.

Lindmeier warned of “an increased risk now of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases” such as measles and diphtheria, attributing this to low pre-earthquake vaccination coverage. He also noted risks of yellow fever and other vector- and water-borne diseases, including malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika.

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, reported that 38 hospitals were affected by the twin earthquakes.

As of Saturday, the WHO had gathered data from 21 health facilities across Caracas, La Guaira, Miranda, and Falcon.

Of these, three are in critical condition, and six have structural damage or are only partially functional. The remaining facilities are operational but under “significant strain,” according to Lindmeier.

“Preliminary findings reveal chaotic service delivery and patient flow, marked by overcrowding; growing surgical backlogs, especially in trauma, orthopaedics, and neurosurgery; breakdown in biosafety measures; and severely stressed staff,” he said.

“Critical gaps include the collapse of forensic and morgue services, and inadequate casualty registration and tracking of missing persons.”

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, warned that community tensions were escalating in quake-hit areas due to constrained aid access.

UNHCR estimates it needs $14.85 million to scale up protection and provide essential relief items and temporary shelter for 30,000 earthquake-affected people over the next six months.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced plans to assist thousands of people left homeless.

“As the acute search-and-rescue phase comes to an end, both the number of people killed and the needs of survivors continue to rise.”

MSF also stated that psychological support services were being scaled up due to “extremely high” demand.