Venezuela’s Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed three deaths from hantavirus in the eastern state of Anzoátegui and said authorities are investigating two additional fatalities involving healthcare workers in the western state of Barinas.
The ministry said the suspected cases in Barinas are unrelated to those in Anzoátegui and described both outbreaks as localized events that do not pose a broader public health risk.
According to official figures, the three patients in Anzoátegui developed severe respiratory distress, extensive lung damage and pleural effusion before dying in hospital.
In a statement, the ministry said the virus is transmitted by rodents, primarily in rural and agricultural areas, through the inhalation of particles from rodent urine, faeces or saliva in enclosed spaces. It added that there is no scientific evidence of person-to-person transmission of hantavirus in Venezuela.
Following the confirmed cases, authorities established an epidemiological containment zone in Anzoátegui to trace contacts and strengthen disease surveillance.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 10,000 and 100,000 hantavirus infections occur globally each year. Human-to-human transmission is considered extremely rare, with the Andes virus being the only known strain capable of spreading through prolonged close contact.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV) expressed concern over the outbreak, urging the government to respond swiftly. The organisation argued that the epidemiological situation is more serious than official figures indicate, claiming that patients in affected areas have presented with high fever, internal bleeding and acute respiratory failure.
The FMV also criticised the Health Ministry for what it described as a lack of transparency and called for comprehensive investigations and greater public disclosure.
The reported cases come amid longstanding challenges facing Venezuela’s healthcare system, including shortages of medicines, diagnostic equipment and protective gear, as well as the continued emigration of medical professionals, which has reduced the capacity of public hospitals to respond to infectious disease outbreaks.