The Venezuelan Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday, July 21, the death of three individuals with confirmed cases of hantavirus in the state of Anzoátegui.
Additionally, the ministry communicated that there are two more deaths registered in the state of Barinas, both belonging to healthcare professionals. These deaths are not linked to the cases in Anzoátegui but are under investigation, awaiting confirmation of their causes.
The health authority clarified that this virus is transmitted by rodents in rural and agricultural environments, with the main route of contagion being the inhalation of particles from urine, feces, or saliva in enclosed spaces. It was reinforced that there is no scientific evidence of person-to-person transmission in the country.
The Venezuelan National Health System remains operational to ensure the safety of all Venezuelan citizens, and the final results of the investigations will be disclosed through official channels in due course.
In a different context, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared on July 2 that the hantavirus outbreak detected on a cruise ship had ended, provided there were no new cases among the 54 people who remained in quarantine. The number of infections on that ship remained stable at 13 over several weeks.
The ship Hondius departed from Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, on April 1, with passengers of various nationalities to cross the South Atlantic. During this crossing, three people died and four others presented symptoms of infection. The passengers and part of the crew disembarked in the Canary Islands, where they were repatriated to their respective countries in an operation coordinated by the WHO and Spanish authorities.
The number of fatalities resulting from the earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 3,811, as disclosed by authorities, while the number of injured remains the same as counted on Sunday. The increase in the number of deceased corresponds to 126 people.
Jorge Rodríguez, President of Parliament, communicated during a meeting with the interim Head of State, Delcy Rodríguez, that 17,907 individuals lost their homes after the double seismic event. The count of rescued individuals remains stable at 6,462 since Thursday. Furthermore, authorities have already provided support to 86,794 families and distributed a total of 9,603,000 kilograms of food.
The parliamentary leader reported that 856 buildings were affected by the tremors, with 190 of them suffering total collapse. In the South American country, 4,388 international rescuers are mobilized, along with 30,076 members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, police forces (national, state, and municipal), firefighters, Civil Protection, and personnel assigned to temporary camps.
Additionally, it was highlighted that 28,992 people signed up as volunteers to assist in managing the crisis following the two earthquakes that occurred on June 24th. On Wednesday, Héctor Rodríguez, Minister of Education, informed that at least 16,686 people are housed in 87 temporary camps established by the Venezuelan government.
Among the deceased are at least 100 Portuguese citizens and descendants of Lusitanians, and another 59 remain missing or out of contact. Several countries, including Portugal and other nations of the European Union, have sent search and rescue teams to Venezuela. The United States (USA) channeled more than 386 million dollars (equivalent to 377 million euros) in humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquakes that affected Venezuela two weeks ago, as notified by the Department of State.
The earthquakes, classified with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurred 200 kilometers from Caracas, separated by less than a minute, and were followed by hundreds of aftershocks, according to information from the United States Geological Survey.
