CARACAS, Venezuela — Doctors and aid workers on Wednesday warned that Venezuela could face a worsening public health crisis after twin earthquakes displaced thousands of people, damaged hospitals and increased the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.
The June 24 earthquakes killed at least 2,295 people, injured more than 11,000 and forced thousands of residents into crowded shelters or makeshift camps with limited access to clean water and sanitation, according to Venezuelan authorities.
Medical workers said untreated injuries, poor sanitary conditions and shortages of healthcare personnel could increase the number of deaths in the coming weeks.
“We’ve already gone through a period of complex trauma—which will continue to occur—but now it’s complicated by infections,” said Eugenio Cova, head of the trauma unit at Hospital del Oeste Dr. José Gregorio Hernández in Caracas.
Aid workers also warned that damaged infrastructure and debris could contribute to disease outbreaks in the hardest-hit communities.
“It’s very hot and there’s a lot of concern about potential vector-borne diseases,” said Veronique Durroux, spokesperson for the United Nations humanitarian agency for Latin America and the Caribbean. She said waste disposal and debris management remain major concerns.
A spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command said the United States has deployed 900 military personnel to support relief and rescue operations. The military repaired an earthquake-damaged runway at Venezuela’s main international airport serving Caracas to facilitate humanitarian flights and positioned naval assets offshore to receive evacuated survivors.
The U.S. State Department also deployed an additional 100 personnel to support relief efforts.
The Trump administration has committed $300 million in humanitarian assistance through aid organizations and the United Nations. The U.N. Development Program estimated earthquake damage at more than $6.7 billion.
International rescue teams from 50 countries have joined search-and-rescue operations. Rescuers continued to find survivors, including a toddler who was pulled from the rubble Tuesday after being trapped for six days.
The disaster has further strained Venezuela’s healthcare system, which has faced years of shortages in water, electricity, medical equipment and personnel.
The Venezuelan Medical Association estimated that about one-third of the country’s 60,000 registered physicians have left since the economic crisis began. Pediatrician Huníades Urbina said Venezuela has roughly half of the 84,000 doctors recommended under World Health Organization standards.
Urbina cited a 2025 survey showing shortages of more than 30 percent of emergency medical supplies and more than 70 percent of operating room supplies in public hospitals.
At Hospital del Oeste Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, Cova said doctors lack orthopedic implants, medicated gauze and other supplies needed to treat earthquake victims. Some surgeons have moved operations into makeshift operating rooms because parts of the hospital remain inaccessible.
Government officials said the earthquakes damaged or compromised 38 hospitals nationwide.
Jaime Lorenzo, director of the nonprofit United Doctors of Venezuela, said a nationwide shortage of ambulances has forced many injured patients to travel to hospitals in private vehicles.
Lorenzo also warned that hospitals could soon receive more patients who have gone without treatment for chronic illnesses, including asthma, diabetes and hypertension, after losing access to medication following the earthquakes.
The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez has faced criticism over its disaster response. Social media videos appearing to show police officers taking personal belongings from collapsed buildings circulated online, although they could not be independently verified.
The Interior Ministry said Wednesday it had dismissed and detained four police officers accused of abusing their roles during rescue and relief operations.
Thousands of people also remain missing. A nongovernmental database that allows families to report missing relatives listed more than 40,600 people as unaccounted for as of Wednesday.
Gen. Francis Donovan said decades of neglect had made the disaster more difficult to manage.
“It is a big problem for any leader to deal with a challenge of this magnitude,” Donovan said.
