Honduras Health News

Nurses, orderlies, and hospital staff shut down San Pedro Sula's Leonardo Martínez Hospital to demand 10–11 months of unpaid back wages owed under a court order for their reinstatement after winning a wrongful-dismissal case.

Honduras's Medical Association rejected claims by Vice President–designate María Antonieta Mejía linking doctors to corruption and medicine shortages in public hospitals, demanding she provide evidence within 72 hours or issue a public apology.

A high-tech linear accelerator donated to Hospital San Felipe and installed earlier this year remains inactive because the government has requested an additional L120 million (about $4.8 million) to make it operational, without clearly explaining why or how it relates to L100 million already spent on equipment.

Honduras has recorded 191 cases of human botfly infection in the first six months of 2026, with health authorities warning the pace may exceed last year's 300 total cases and noting three deaths already this year.

Honduras's health regulator lifted all restrictions on sales of Musflex (carisoprodol) muscle relaxants, allowing pharmacies to dispense the medication without a prescription and easing supply concerns.

Starting August 1, Honduras will shift vaccination records from paper to a digital national system, allowing health authorities to track immunizations in real time, identify people needing doses, and improve disease prevention planning.

Senasa director Rafael Rodríguez affirmed that Honduras remains disease-free in its pig herds, a status he said strengthens domestic pork production and ensures safe meat for consumers.

Jesús Alexis Maradiaga, a four-year-old from Santa Cruz de Yojoa who fell from a bus on May 21 and spent weeks in intensive care after two emergency surgeries, was discharged from IHSS on June 19; his grandfather's photo of prayer at the hospital's pediatric ICU had gone viral, drawing nationwide prayers for the child's recovery.

A dialysis unit in Yoro suspended its second shift, leaving about 50 kidney patients without care, after the contractor's salary payments—including a 14th-month bonus—were held up by retained Health Ministry funds, putting lives at immediate risk.

A toddler admitted to Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa with fever developed severe complications after receiving phenytoin intravenously, resulting in purple discoloration and potential loss of his left arm; hospital officials say a hyperbaric specialist will evaluate whether the limb can be saved.

Honduras's Social Security Institute has begun a program to reduce its surgical waiting list, with 143 procedures already completed in San Pedro Sula, where more than 3,000 patients await surgery; the institute says it is cleaning up outdated records and contracting private medical firms to expand capacity.

Hospital General San Felipe completed more than 1,800 major surgeries in eight weeks, reducing the surgical waiting list and treating patients who had been waiting for care.

A woman from Omoa delivered her baby in the waiting room of Puerto Cortés Area Hospital after staff said no obstetrician was available, highlighting ongoing staff shortages in Honduras's public health system.

Honduran chef Sandra Isabel Díaz del Valle died after receiving treatment for severe neck pain and stiffness at a private clinic on June 10, with medical records now detailing the diagnoses, medications, and procedures during the emergency that led to her death.

A 22-year-old woman from Dulce Nombre de Culmí in Olancho died of severe dengue caused by serotype 3, after developing symptoms in early June amid active virus circulation across multiple regions.

Ex-Health Minister Carla Paredes joined residents of Santa Bárbara in demanding that construction of eight hospitals begun under former President Xiomara Castro continue, challenging authorities to investigate any claims of cost inflation and irregularities.

Dr. Pablo Cerritos, who treated chef Sandra Díaz before her death on June 10, denied performing cosmetic surgery and said he has cooperated fully with investigators and is awaiting autopsy results.

Honduras declared a health emergency in February 2026 and launched a special program to reduce surgical waiting lists, with Hospital San Felipe reporting over 1,800 major surgeries completed in eight weeks, though medical and legislative sectors seek more detailed data on spending and nationwide impact.

Senasa confirmed detection of avian influenza at a commercial poultry farm in San Pedro Zacapa, Santa Bárbara, triggering containment protocols to prevent spread.

A woman waiting at Honduras's Supreme Court of Justice had to wait nearly 30 minutes for a 911 ambulance after a medical emergency, exposing the court's lack of basic first-aid equipment for citizens conducting business there.

Honduras's Health Ministry completed a national workshop to roll out a digital vaccination-record system nationwide, moving toward a computerized immunization database.

Honduras's Defense Ministry and Human Rights Secretariat held a training session for military personnel on the legal rights and protections for people living with HIV, aiming to build a culture of respect and non-discrimination within the armed forces.

Honduras has recorded 175 confirmed cases of whooping cough and 14 deaths in 2026, a 53.5% increase over the same period last year, with most cases and deaths affecting infants and young children who have not completed their vaccination schedules.

Public Ministry spokeswoman Lorena Cálix said the office will not open a criminal investigation into the poisoning of a family in La Esperanza, Intibucá, who consumed toxic mushrooms, finding no evidence of third-party involvement and treating it as an isolated health matter.

Honduras has recorded 14 whooping cough deaths so far in 2026, a 75% increase over the eight deaths reported throughout all of 2025.

Honduras has installed a hyperbaric chamber at Puerto Lempira hospital in Gracias a Dios to treat decompression sickness among Miskito divers, fulfilling a ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and eliminating dangerous emergency transfers.

Honduras's labor ministry and national AIDS commission reminded employers that demanding HIV tests for hiring, promotion, or employment is prohibited by law, with violators facing fines of one to five monthly minimum wages.

Cancer patients at the Honduran Social Security Institute report a three-month shortage of carboplatin, an essential chemotherapy drug, forcing them to buy vials costing over L3,000 (about $120) out of pocket or forgo complete treatment.

Honduras's agricultural health authority has confirmed avian influenza in wild birds, particularly black vultures, and has collected about 450 dead birds while monitoring over 150,000 backyard poultry in 90 communities to prevent spread to domestic flocks.

Thirteen people in Intibucá were hospitalized after consuming toxic mushrooms, with an 11-year-old girl in critical condition.