Pan American Health Organization warns of a ‘critical’ emergency after Venezuela’s earthquakes

The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck north-central Venezuela threaten to trigger a major public health crisis in the country. On Thursday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned that the emergency has entered a critical phase. The earthquakes left at least 3,811 people dead, around 18,000 injured, hundreds suffering from fractures and amputations, more than 17,000 displaced, some 400 people still hospitalized, and over 300 bodies that remain unidentified. Meanwhile, the country’s already strained healthcare system is facing a crisis that is “far from over,” the agency said.

PAHO explained that many of the thousands of people who suffered fractures, lacerations, and other injuries remain hospitalized, while others face a lengthy recovery process. “The number of people who underwent surgery, suffered amputations, and have already been discharged is still being consolidated,” the organization said. Armando De Negri, PAHO’s acting director in Venezuela, warned that many victims will require months of rehabilitation to regain their independence.

“In the coming weeks, the greatest health risks may come not only from injuries caused by the earthquakes, but also from interruptions to health services, overcrowding, inadequate water and sanitation, and reduced access to vaccination and routine care,” said Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO director. “Access to vaccines should be guaranteed first. Venezuela already had vaccination coverage indicators below what would be necessary,” he said, adding that the people living in the more than 80 shelters established by authorities face the highest risk of disease outbreaks.

But achieving that goal is complicated by other challenges. At the beginning of June, the Venezuelan Health Ministry ordered vaccine rationing by postponing booster shots and reducing the number of vaccination centers. Only a few months ago, authorities resumed publication of the epidemiological bulletin — albeit in a reduced-information format — which allows health officials to monitor outbreaks and diseases. The bulletin had been censored for more than a decade by the Chávez and Maduro governments

Unidentified bodies

Ciro Ugarte, director of PAHO’s Department of Health Emergencies, said that recovering and identifying victims is one of the most complex aspects of a disaster response. Reports have already emerged of bodies going missing from improvised morgues. PAHO said that more than 300 recovered bodies have yet to be conclusively identified. Each body must be recovered, georeferenced, identified, documented, and subjected to genetic testing before final disposition, Ugarte explained.

“It is very hard work, regrettable in the face of so much loss of life, but this is an earthquake with a high mortality rate,” Ugarte said. The organization reported that Venezuela’s forensic service is developing a process to ensure that unidentified victims can still be recognized in the future.

“The exact burial location is marked, stable genetic material such as teeth, bones and also nails is collected, and that is archived so families can later claim and cross-reference their genetic data with the deceased,” De Negri added. “All are in urns, all are being properly handled, so that at any time they can be re-examined.”

Specialists also warned that debris removal presents both public-health and environmental challenges. Beyond locating human remains, authorities must prevent new sources of contamination. “Debris removal involves not only the proper handling of any human remains that may be found, but also comprehensive environmental risk management,” De Negri said.

Although more than 50 hospitals remain operational across the seven states affected by the earthquakes, many are functioning at reduced capacity because of both quake-related damage and the preexisting shortcomings of Venezuela’s healthcare system. PAHO’s assessment identified three hospitals with structural damage severe enough to require evacuation; another 24 that sustained damage temporarily affecting operations; 20 with minor damage; 20 specialized outpatient facilities that were damaged; and more than 100 primary-care units that were affected, including 20 with severe damage.

“In the inpatient wards, for example, with capacity for 50 beds, there were more than 200 patients,” Ugarte recounted of the first hours after the quakes. “We found that many of those health services did not have the essential items to respond. So the rapid international relief response complemented those national efforts.”

Healthcare capacity has been especially reduced in La Guaira, where half of the health workforce has been lost because staff members died, remain missing, were injured, or lost their homes and relocated to other regions.

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