Honduras Health News

Hospital Santa Teresa de Comayagua's subdirector said the facility is maintaining scheduled surgeries and procedures despite a shortage of anesthetics.

Hospital Mario Catarino Rivas in San Pedro Sula has reduced its surgical waiting list by 30% and reports 80% medication supply levels, though 655 patients still await surgery, mostly in urology, vascular and general surgery, and orthopedics.

Honduras is updating its integrated strategy for preventing and controlling dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and other vector-borne diseases through 2035, with Pan American Health Organization support, to strengthen surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, clinical care, vector management, and community response.

Former Health Minister José Manuel Matheu criticized the suspension of three hospitals under investigation for cost overruns, saying the projects should continue while authorities probe why costs allegedly ballooned from $79 million to $280 million.

Hospitals under construction in Choluteca, Colón, and Bay Islands, funded by international development banks, are on track to open in 2027, with Choluteca's regional facility 58% complete and expected to serve 159 beds in oncology and intensive care.

Honduras recorded 17 deaths from whooping cough through July 2026, more than double the eight deaths in all of 2025, with infants and young children bearing the brunt of the highly contagious bacterial infection.

The Honduran Foundation for Children with Cancer plans to build a pediatric oncology clinic at the Southern Hospital in Choluteca, with Congressional backing, to allow southern-region children to receive treatment without traveling to Tegucigalpa.

Honduras has recorded 6,218 dengue cases nationwide through epidemiological week 29 (late July), according to the Health Ministry's surveillance unit.

Honduras's Health Ministry announced a major investment to upgrade Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa and Hospital Mario Catarino Rivas in San Pedro Sula, including new operating rooms, medical equipment, and specialized facilities for kidney transplants and other advanced procedures.

Honduras has confirmed 246 human screwworm infestations and three deaths — all adults over 70 with underlying conditions in Olancho and Francisco Morazán — prompting health authorities to intensify prevention efforts and urge prompt medical care for open wounds.

Six hospital projects show a split picture: facilities in Choluteca, Tocoa, and Bay Islands are 24–58% complete and funded by international development banks, while hospitals in Santa Bárbara, Ocotepeque, and Olancho face investigations, contract disputes, and budget shortfalls that threaten completion.

Analysis of 2024–2025 data shows Tegucigalpa residents face seasonal health threats: high air pollution and smoke in the dry season (first half of the year) drive respiratory cases, while declining temperatures in the rainy season (July–September) trigger a second surge in illness.

Honduras recorded more than 9,000 traffic accidents killing 1,150 people and injuring 1,891 through July 25, with motorcyclists accounting for 41% of all crashes, driven by a growing motorcycle fleet and reckless driving, the National Road and Transport Authority said.

A medical brigade in Juticalpa, Olancho provided care to approximately 6,200 patients in a single day.

Honduras has recorded 17 deaths from whooping cough so far in 2026, more than double the eight deaths in all of 2025, with infants and young children bearing the brunt of the outbreak, health authorities say.

Social Security patients are spending L3,000–L6,000 monthly (about $120–$240) out of pocket for medications and supplies due to treatment delays, with chronic and cancer patients most severely affected by administrative backlogs and supply shortages.

Honduras has confirmed 12 measles cases—six imported and six locally acquired—and health officials say they screen suspected cases daily, warning that one infected person can spread the virus to up to 18 others and urging continued vaccination.

The Agriculture Ministry's health agency (Senasa) is training veterinarians, importers, and customs agents on requirements and procedures for importing animal products and veterinary medicines to strengthen biosecurity and ensure compliance with import controls.

Health authorities in Atlántida are monitoring three people with suspected measles while laboratory tests are pending to confirm or rule out the disease, amid a broader national outbreak with 12 confirmed cases.

The Ciudad Mujer Mobile clinic arrives in Roatán on July 24–25 to provide free medical, psychological, and social services including screenings and dental care to women and children in the island municipality.

Honduras's agricultural health agency has processed 5,312 laboratory samples and monitored over 8.5 million birds across 125 farms to detect high-pathogenicity H5 avian influenza, focusing on rural communities and backyard flocks deemed most vulnerable to the virus's spread.

Congress unanimously approved funding of 20 million lempiras (about $800,000) to equip and launch a hemodialysis clinic in La Esperanza, Intibucá, expanding specialized kidney-disease care for the region.

Tegucigalpa's health authority reported ten hospitalized dengue cases, three in critical condition, among 1,320 confirmed cases in the capital this year, and warned that self-medication can worsen symptoms and delay proper diagnosis.

Following a first phase in which mobile medical units served nearly 17,000 patients, Honduras's Health Ministry is deploying the clinics to Tambla, La Libertad, and La Lima to extend free care to underserved communities.

Health authorities and major hospitals in northwestern Honduras have established a coordinated protocol to manage a potential spread of measles, with the outbreak currently limited to six confirmed cases in San Pedro Sula and an active epidemiological barrier in Cofradía since early July.

Honduras is keeping its avian influenza health emergency in effect after confirming one case in a commercial poultry farm and over 500 cases in wild birds, saying that lifting the emergency could ease biosecurity measures and allow spread to commercial operations.

An analyst from the justice-advocacy group ASJ warns that Honduras's public hospitals face persistent delays in acquiring medicines and reducing surgical backlogs, citing slow budget execution and administrative bottlenecks that risk patient frustration after months of waiting.

Honduras confirmed 17 cases of whooping cough by mid-July, nearly triple the six cases recorded in the same period last year, a surge health officials attribute to declining childhood vaccination coverage that has reached only 70% of the national target.

David Maldonado, a Honduran military parachutist injured during September 15 independence day celebrations, has returned to Honduras to continue his recovery; his wife says he is in stable condition but still requires orthotic support to walk.

Community Medical Care Units (UMAC) served over 16,900 people in their first deployment round and are now expanding to rural areas in Lempira, Francisco Morazán, and Cortés.