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Barinas (state)
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Translation Google
Key points of the Barinas case: three doctors and a nurse died from an unknown illness
Family members and healthcare workers are reporting cases of patients from rural areas with compatible symptoms, while medical associations are demanding a thorough epidemiological investigation, greater transparency in official information, and the activation of protocols to rule out diseases such as Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever. The Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV) expressed its concern about these deaths and called for increased surveillance for possible hemorrhagic and respiratory fever syndromes.
By Mariangel Moro Colmenárez - July 20, 2026
At least four healthcare workers have died in the last seven months.
Los Llanos – Enelda del Carmen Pérez died on February 21 of this year in Barinas . She was a nurse and, according to relatives and health personnel consulted by El Pitazo, she presented symptoms similar to those of the three doctors who recently died in that same medical center.
Fever, platelet abnormalities (low platelet count), kidney involvement, neurological failure, and other organ dysfunction. This is what the people El Pitazo spoke with reported. The same symptoms were reported by the nurse and the three doctors.
This situation adds at least four healthcare workers to the number of deaths in the last seven months from a disease whose causative agent has not yet been officially determined and which keeps doctors and nurses on alert.
Health workers say they have been treating patients for the past couple of years, mainly from rural areas, with similar clinical conditions.
The concern of healthcare workers in Barinas state intensified after the deaths of two doctors in a short period. Dr. Rafael Díaz, 32 , who was head of the resident physicians in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Dr. Luis Razetti Hospital, was admitted to the medical center on Monday, July 6, and died on Saturday, July 11.
Days later , epidemiologist Cecilia Chávez, former director of the Dr. José León Tapias Hospital in Socopó, died. She spent five days in the ICU of the Luis Razetti Hospital before passing away with a diagnosis of interhemorrhagic syndrome and fever of unknown origin. Unofficially, it has been hypothesized that she may have contracted an infectious agent while performing medical work in rural communities in the municipalities of Rojas and Sosa.
These cases are in addition to that of doctor Jhovanny Silva, who died in December 2025 , also at the Luis Razetti Hospital, after presenting a clinical picture that colleagues consider similar.
What is known about the case of nurse Enelda Pérez?
Enelda del Carmen Pérez worked as a nurse at Funsalud Barinas. Sources close to her, consulted by El Pitazo , reported that she was initially admitted with a suspected diagnosis of hemorrhagic fever and was referred to Dr. Luis Razetti Hospital.
However, they claim that doctors later told them it was not yellow fever, but rather classic dengue fever. Despite this, the patient died on February 21. An autopsy was reportedly performed after her death, but, according to her family, it did not definitively establish the cause of death. They assert that epidemiological documents did not determine whether it was yellow fever, Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever, or dengue.
Relatives indicated that they were expecting a report from Caracas that was never delivered and that samples were taken from the nurse's daughter, although they also did not receive results.
Enelda was 55 years old and a native of Libertad . According to her family, during her hospitalization she experienced a significant drop in platelets : initially she had 98,000, then the values rose to 115,000, but subsequently dropped to 68,000. Following this decline, she suffered neurological problems, disorientation, and a worsening of her overall condition.
The nurse's family also reported that her mother, Juana Pérez, 81, died a month earlier, on January 26, after presenting similar symptoms.
According to her relatives, the elderly woman began experiencing complications at her home in Libertad de Barinas. She was subsequently hospitalized and remained there for approximately 10 days before passing away. They reported that she suffered from bleeding from the mouth during her illness.
Juana Pérez also underwent an autopsy. Her family claims that the documentation provided mentioned yellow fever following vaccination. According to her relatives, the elderly woman had received a vaccination in December.
Healthcare workers consulted by El Pitazo maintain that these cases are rarely officially recorded as Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever . “Doctors are prohibited from using that diagnosis, so it’s unlikely you’ll find it listed as Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever or yellow fever in the death certificates,” they stated.
Is the disease known?
So far, no health authority has officially determined the cause of these deaths. Although some healthcare workers have mentioned the possibility of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever , medical sources themselves clarify that there is no confirmed diagnosis to support this claim.
What they do confirm is that for approximately two years, patients from rural municipalities like Rojas and Sosa have been admitted to the Luis Razetti Hospital with similar symptoms . They even point out that some doctors express concern when these patients are referred to the hospital due to the risk of staff exposure and believe that epidemiological containment measures are not always carried out with the necessary rigor.
"Patients with these symptoms are being taken to the hospital and the staff are worried because they fear 'contamination' (...) The epidemiological containment is not being carried out as it should be," they warned.
What symptoms do patients present?
According to medical sources who requested to remain anonymous, the disease is characterized by rapid progression and high clinical severity.
Patients present with persistent fever, kidney involvement, thrombocytopenia —a decrease in platelets—, prolonged clotting times, and multiple organ failure, conditions that can lead to death in approximately 15 days.
In addition, workers from the Dr. Óscar Arzolay Intensive Care Unit also describe involvement of the nervous system, lungs, liver and blood , with an accelerated deterioration of the general condition.
What are the workers at the Luis Razetti Hospital complaining about?
In a publicly released document, workers from the Intensive Care Unit described the situation as critical and stated that they do not know what disease they are facing.
They warned that there is still no official epidemiological response to determine whether the cases correspond to Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever or another infectious agent, so health personnel are attending to patients without specific protocols for this type of biological risk.
They also denounced the lack of biosafety suits and personal protective equipment for those working in intensive care, in addition to requesting the disinfection of the unit where the patients were treated, the reinstatement of isolation protocols and the solution to the failures in the hospital's water supply.
What have the medical associations asked for?
The Barinas State Medical Association issued a statement on July 15th requesting a thorough epidemiological investigation to determine the cause of these deaths. The medical and nursing associations also called for a guaranteed continuous supply of personal protective equipment and biosafety supplies for all staff in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
The document warned that those working on the front lines require protection while the origin of the disease is being clarified.
The Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV) expressed its “deep alarm and concern” over the deaths of the three doctors, attributed to a “strange illness” whose origin has not yet been officially determined. In a statement, the organization also referred to reported cases of hantavirus in Anzoátegui and demanded greater transparency from health authorities regarding epidemiological information, as well as the immediate activation of surveillance protocols.
According to the document, a pathology characterized by “severe compromise of general condition and acute cardiorespiratory failure” has been reported in Barinas, with a rapid and fatal progression in several patients. The Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV) indicated that, given the clinical characteristics of these cases, surveillance protocols for febrile hemorrhagic syndrome and febrile respiratory syndrome should be activated, including the evaluation of diseases such as Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever (VHF), an endemic disease in areas of Barinas state.
The medical organization questioned the response from the Barinas State Health Authority, accusing it of "downplaying and simplifying" the seriousness of the situation through statistical management and epidemiological information that, according to the statement, "lacks transparency." The Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV) demanded a thorough investigation, clarity regarding diagnoses, and protective measures for healthcare personnel , warning that timely action is necessary to prevent a situation of this nature from having more serious consequences for the population.
What do the health authorities in Barinas say?
Dr. José Fajardo, the sole health authority for the state of Barinas, ruled out the existence of a health or epidemiological alert last week. According to a press release from the Governor's office, he explained that the three doctors were admitted to the Luis Razetti Hospital in very serious condition after spending more than a week hospitalized in private clinics.
He stated that scientific investigations and forensic examinations are still underway, so there is still no official cause of death.
He also stated that there is no medical evidence to epidemiologically link the cases to each other, that the Luis Razetti Hospital maintains active national epidemiological surveillance protocols, and that there are no risk factors for the general population.
What precedents exist in Barinas?
The healthcare workers' concerns are also based on recent events. In February of this year, a report from the Ministry of Health placed Barinas among the states with the highest risk of yellow fever outbreaks. According to statistics for Epidemiological Week 12, the state had 12 confirmed cases, the highest number in the country.
Subsequently, in early March, school activities were suspended in the municipalities of Rojas and Sosa due to reports of deaths associated with a suspected hemorrhagic fever transmitted by rodents, a situation that was not confirmed by the authorities.
These events are occurring in a context marked by years of absence of official epidemiological information. It was only in February of this year, 2026, that the Ministry of Health resumed publication of the National Epidemiological Bulletin, after a decade-long suspension of this tool, considered fundamental for understanding disease behavior and the emergence of potential outbreaks in the country.
However, health workers in Barinas say that information gaps still persist regarding the cases they are treating and question the lack of detailed data on the infectious conditions that have caused the death of several health professionals, as well as other people.
What's next in the investigation?
So far there is no official diagnosis that explains the death of the three doctors and the nurse, nor that allows us to establish whether all the cases were caused by the same infectious agent.
Health authorities insist there are no reasons to declare an epidemiological alert, but health personnel maintain that for several years they have been observing patients with similar clinical presentations , mainly from rural areas of the state, and demand transparent investigations, specific care protocols, and greater biosecurity measures to prevent further cases among those on the front lines of care.
https://elpitazo.net/regiones/clave...ra-fallecidos-por-una-enfermedad-desconocida/