WHO warns of disease risk in earthquake-hit Venezuela

GENEVA — The World Health Organization has warned that Venezuela's health system is under pressure after two earthquakes struck the country, with thousands of displaced people facing heightened risk of outbreaks of yellow fever and dengue due to low vaccination rates. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva that at least three health centers were severely damaged and six others were partially operational or out of service. Lindmeier said hospitals were experiencing disruptions in service delivery, rising patient loads and a backlog of surgical cases. He added that many maternal health specialists in La Guaira remain missing, creating a serious gap in delivery care. The two earthquakes, of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, killed more than 1,700 people, injured over 5,000, destroyed hundreds of buildings and caused severe infrastructure damage, according to Venezuelan authorities cited by the WHO briefing.