Twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela’s northern coast on 24 June, killing at least 3,811 people and injuring 16,740, according to figures released by Venezuelan authorities on 8 July. The state of La Guaira, roughly 20 kilometres north of Caracas, bore the brunt of the destruction, and officials estimate that 17,907 people are now living in more than 80 emergency shelters, including schools and public squares. Some earlier reports placed the death toll at 3,889; the discrepancy has not been publicly explained.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned on Thursday that the greatest health threats in the coming weeks will stem not only from quake-related injuries but from disruptions to routine medical care, overcrowding in shelters, and lack of clean water and sanitation. “The biggest risks may derive from interruptions in health services, overcrowded conditions, deficiencies in water and sanitation and reduced access to vaccination and routine healthcare,” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa told a virtual press conference from Washington. He stressed that vaccination coverage in Venezuela was already below required levels before the disaster, making those in shelters especially vulnerable to outbreaks of respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases.

Venezuela’s health system had been deteriorating for years due to economic crisis and the emigration of tens of thousands of medical professionals, PAHO emergencies director Ciro Ugarte said. The situation became critical immediately after the quakes, when trauma care had to be provided in improvised spaces. Three hospitals suffered structural damage and were evacuated, while 24 others experienced temporary functional disruptions that have largely been repaired, according to PAHO’s representative in Venezuela, Armando Denegri. He added that half of the health workers in La Guaira were directly affected, with some killed or missing. PAHO is now working with the health ministry to integrate field hospitals and shelters into an early warning system that tracks diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections, febrile syndromes and vaccine-preventable illnesses.

PAHO estimates that $24 million will be needed to cover urgent health requirements through the end of the year, including maintaining services and restoring damaged facilities. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has defended the government’s handling of the disaster amid criticism that civilian volunteers, alongside international rescue teams, led much of the initial search-and-recovery effort. The death toll remains provisional as recovery operations continue.