Medical experts are warning that the impact of Venezuela’s twin earthquakes could spark a broader health emergency, with untreated injuries, the risk of infectious diseases, and a health system that was already fragile.
Thousands of Venezuelans displaced by the June 24 quakes are seeking refuge in overcrowded shelters or outdoors, lacking clean water and adequate sanitation. Authorities confirmed at least 2,295 deaths and more than 11,000 injuries.
“The next challenge we anticipate is the surge of infections among patients who have been exposed to the disaster for an extended period,” said Dr. Eugenio Cova, head of the trauma unit at Hospital José Gregorio Hernández in Caracas.
“We have already endured a period of severe trauma, which will continue, but now it is further complicated by the risk of infections,” Cova added.
Aid workers caution that the widespread damage to infrastructure could spark disease outbreaks in the most affected areas.
“We are hearing numerous reports of diarrhoea and other illnesses among the population here,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Teresa Bo, reporting from a shelter in La Guaira.
“They are requesting portable toilets and government assistance to reorganise the site, aiming to prevent both overcrowding and the spread of disease,” Bo said.
US military deploys 900 personnel to aid Venezuela
The United States has sent roughly 900 military personnel to Venezuela to assist with relief and rescue efforts, according to Steven McLoud, a spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), speaking to The Associated Press.
McLoud said the U.S. military has repaired an earthquake‑damaged runway at Venezuela’s principal international airport—serving Caracas—to enable humanitarian flights, and has positioned naval vessels off the coast to support the aid mission.
An additional 100 State Department personnel have been dispatched to bolster the operation, McLoud added.
To date, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged $300 million in aid, which will be delivered through NGOs and the United Nations.
That amount represents only a small portion of what is needed; satellite analysis by the UN Development Programme estimates total damage at over $6.7 billion.
In recent days, roughly 50 additional international aid teams have arrived to assist with search‑and‑rescue operations, including units from Ecuador and Israel, both of which lack diplomatic ties with Venezuela.
Despite the overwhelming destruction, rescuers are still pulling a handful of survivors from the rubble; on Tuesday they rescued a toddler who had been trapped for six days.
Kevin Simm, a volunteer aid worker, told Al Jazeera that the scale of the devastation resembles that of an armed conflict.
“This obviously brings to mind the current crises in Gaza and Ukraine,” Simm observed.
“It’s like a scene from a movie or a war zone… We have never seen this in peacetime,” he added.
Venezuela’s crisis‑stricken hospitals dealt another blow
Even before the quakes, Venezuela’s public hospitals were already struggling with shortages of water, electricity, essential medical equipment, and trained personnel, according to multiple reports.
More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since the economic crisis began in 2013 under former President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro and his wife were abducted earlier this year in a U.S. military raid.
Many specialist doctors and nurses were among those who left, and Venezuela’s medical association estimates that roughly one‑third of its 60,000 registered physicians have departed.
Huniades Urbina, a board member of Venezuela’s paediatrics association, said a 2025 national survey of public hospitals showed shortages exceeding 30 % of emergency supplies and over 70 % of operating‑room supplies.
“Laboratories are essentially closed or only perform basic functions,” Urbina said.
“The earthquakes once again underscore the Venezuelan government’s inability to provide an adequate health‑care system for its people,” he concluded.