Ciro Ugarte, Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme and also Director of Health Emergencies at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), assessed the latest situation in Venezuela at a weekly press conference held at the UN office in Geneva.
"Medical services are under severe strain and facilities are operating beyond capacity. PAHO/WHO conducted direct assessments at eight facilities and all need urgent support. Structural damage was reported at three, while one facility is in critical condition and requires immediate intervention."
Ugarte said that PAHO delivered 6.2 tons of medical and emergency supplies to the country for distribution within the first 72 hours of the disaster. On July 1, four tons of essential emergency medical supplies were dispatched from PAHO's strategic reserve in Panama. The shipment includes trauma supplies, medicines, field equipment, and personal protective gear. This amount can cover the medical needs of 10,000 people for three months.
Ugarte stressed that those staying in temporary shelters are vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases (measles, diphtheria, whooping cough) and waterborne infections, and noted that disruptions in water and sanitation systems and poor hygiene conditions are increasing health risks.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela 39 seconds apart on June 24. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported on June 26 that the direct physical damage cost of the earthquakes is estimated at $6.7 billion.
As of June 27, the number of people reported missing in the earthquakes exceeded 68,000, and the death toll rose to 2,295. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the country amid fears that the number of dead and injured will rise.
