Venezuelan government expands yellow fever vaccination plan to 10 states

The Venezuelan government has announced a significant expansion of its yellow fever vaccination program, extending the campaign to a total of ten states across the country. This move, detailed by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, incorporates six additional regions into an initiative that was already underway in four other states. The Minister of Health, Carlos Alvarado, identified Guárico, Monagas, Sucre, Apure, Yaracuy, and Cojedes as the newly included states, joining Aragua, Barinas, Lara, and Portuguesa.

Minister Alvarado highlighted that the campaign has so far administered 793,455 doses of the yellow fever vaccine, emphasizing that a single dose offers lifelong immunity. To bolster the vaccination drive, the government has also implemented a training program, successfully equipping 15,000 students to assist in the initial four states, with plans to train a similar or greater number for the newly added territories. This coordinated effort aims to enhance public health security against the threat of yellow fever.

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We wanted to continue advancing, given that we have the vaccines, in another six states: Guárico, Monagas, Sucre, Apure, Yaracuy, and Cojedes. So far, 793,455 doses of yellow fever have been administered. It is a single dose that protects for life.

This expansion comes amidst ongoing public health concerns. In March, a coalition of 24 health organizations urged Venezuelan authorities to take decisive action against what they described as the "beginning" of a yellow fever epidemic, noting that initial cases were reported in June 2025 and that official notification was delayed by eight months. At the time, then-Minister of Health Nuramy Gutiérrez confirmed "some deaths" from yellow fever in the previous year but refrained from disclosing figures to prevent public panic. She stated that as of March 10, 2026, only seven positive cases had been registered, declaring an "epidemic alert." The government's objective is to achieve a 95% vaccination coverage rate, building upon the approximately 49,000 individuals vaccinated at that point, in addition to the "three million Venezuelans already vaccinated... in the previous decade."

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I have asked the health team that we can extend it from four states to ten.