Chronic illness and diarrhea surge in quake-hit Venezuelan communities as humanitarian crisis builds

Chronic illness and Diarrhea surge in quake-hit Venezuelan communities as Humanitarian crisis builds 0 seconds of 1 minute, 14 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 00:00 01:14 01:14 More Videos 00:43 Son demands independent probe after father shot and killed by ICE officer in Houston 00:57 Trump says interim agreement between U.S. and Iran is 'over' 01:55 Trump declaring ceasefire 'over' with Iran overshadows NATO Summit 01:40 Trump threatens to strike Iran's civilian infrastructure: 'They really deserve it' 00:45 Denmark hits back after Trump suggests once again that U.S. should control Greenland 01:37 Trump casts doubt on Iran deal, says any fighting will end 'very quickly' 01:11 Trump describes Iran as weakened but alludes to ongoing security concerns 00:52 Stocks fall, oil soars after Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over' Close 1 of 6 | Venezuelans affected by the devastating Earthquakes last month received some aid on Wednesday but increasingly face challenges accessing Clean water as well as Sanitation and hygiene services. (AP video by: Juan Arraez) 2 of 6 | Nataly Mayora hangs clothes to dry on a soccer goal net as she does laundry at a sports center sheltering people displaced by the Earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) 3 of 6 | Javier Contreras sits at a sports center sheltering people displaced by the Earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) 4 of 6 | A family rests at a sports center being used as a shelter for those displaced by the Earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) 5 of 6 | Rescue workers and volunteers search through the rubble of a building collapsed during the Earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) 6 of 6 | United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey) By Regina Garcia Cano Updated 12:11 AM MESZ, July 10, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela (AP) — Victims of the powerful twin Earthquakes that jolted Venezuela last month as well as people spared by the destruction on Thursday flooded relief services offered by nongovernmental organizations in the hardest-hit areas. The demand for help comes as the United Nations launched an appeal for roughly $300 million to assist 1.3 million people in urgent need of aid in the South American country where nongovernmental organizations until recently were targets of government repression. Mobile kitchens and clinics as well as field hospitals now dot public spaces in the northern state of La Guaira, where most of the devastation occurred. “It is clear at displacement sites that, particularly after two weeks, that people are turning up because they haven’t been able to get their other treatments,” U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher told The Associated Press during his visit to Venezuela. “So, they’re not turning up with just the fractures now, they’re turning up with those longer-term health needs. And it’s vital that we’re there for them.” Doctors treating people in that state’s Catia La Mar community on Thursday reported an increase in skin conditions and diarrheal diseases, as well as of requests for medications for the treatment of chronic illnesses, including diabetes and high blood pressure. The emerging diseases can be tied to crowded living spaces and poor water and sanitation conditions, which in many communities predate the Earthquakes. Irma Echarri showed up at a mobile unit on a sidewalk across the street from a church with the boxes of the eyedrops and pain reliever she usually takes, hoping that doctors there could give her new ones. She also wanted to be seen for the pain she developed in her nose after the June 24 Earthquakes. Venezuelan medics fear earthquake aftermath will trigger widening medical crisis 3 MIN READ Fallout from Venezuela’s Earthquakes turns political as opposition leader Machado seeks return 4 MIN READ Venezuelans hope online posts will bring news of missing after devastating Earthquakes 4 MIN READ “It hurts a lot,” Echarri, 67, said while waiting to be seen. “It hurts because it hurts.” Echarri’s home was not damaged, but many of her neighbors are living in temporary shelters or outdoors after 190 buildings collapsed and 856 others were damaged, according to Venezuelan officials, in the back-to-back Earthquakes that killed 3,889 people. The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez has estimated that the Earthquakes left about 18,000 people without a home. The displaced are now living in schools, sidewalks, parks, plazas and other public spaces. Fletcher, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AP the United States has so far provided most of the earthquake-response aid. Much of the assistance on the ground is being delivered by local groups that have partnered with global humanitarian organizations. Among the displaced is Zulbey Reyes, who went to the clinic ran by the Venezuela-based organization Paluz in partnership with the global relief agency International Rescue Committee. Reyes, who was also robbed by the Earthquakes of her job as a nanny, sought treatment for the onset of chest pain. “I thought it was my heart that was sick,” Reyes, 41, said after being diagnosed and receiving medication. “But it’s a nerve that became inflamed after the screams that day.” Armando Denegri, representative in Venezuela of the Pan-American Health Organization told reporters Thursday that “50% of the health professionals in La Guaira were directly affected” by the Earthquakes. “Some disappeared, some died, others were severely affected by the crisis, impacting their families,” Denegri said without giving further details. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has estimated direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure around $37 billion. The widespread presence of nongovernmental organizations in the country and the freedom with which the government is allowing them to operate contrasts with the repression and persecution to which they were subjected in recent years. While Rodríguez served as vice president to former President Nicolás Maduro, organizations were repeatedly accused of anti-government activities and the U.N. local human rights office expelled. “When you have a crisis of this magnitude, people put the politics to one side and are able to focus on saving as many lives as possible, and that’s what I’m seeing so far in this response,” Fletcher said.