Browse Honduras Daily Stories

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.

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.

A civil-society organization is calling for proceeds from the presidential aircraft's sale—over L137 million (about $5.5 million)—to be spent on medicines and hospital improvements to ease shortages in the public health system.

Honduras has one million measles vaccine doses available at over 1,800 health centers nationwide, but about 90,000 children under five remain unprotected, as authorities work to boost immunization rates amid a confirmed outbreak.

The UNICEF representative in Honduras said the country has one of the world's highest rates of adolescent pregnancy, with over 20,000 girls becoming pregnant annually, many under age 15—cases classified as sexual assault—and called for coordinated action through schools, families, and communities to address both prevention and victim support.

A confirmed measles outbreak in the Cofradía sector of San Pedro Sula has prompted health authorities to deploy 15 daily vaccination brigades and open four fixed vaccination sites, while schools have shifted to remote classes for three weeks to limit spread.

Health authorities confirmed an 11-year-old girl in Cofradía, Cortés, with measles, bringing the total to 11 cases; she is a classmate of a previously diagnosed student, and health officials are monitoring all school contacts and conducting mass vaccination in the municipality.

Honduras's nursing association is warning it will hold informational assemblies if the Health Ministry does not reinstate about 100 fired nurses, pay overdue benefits, and establish a promised technical committee to address grievances.

From late March through early May 2026, Honduras paid an average of L65,000 (about $2,600) per operation to private clinics to reduce a backlog of more than 13,700 patients waiting for surgery in public hospitals, spending nearly L10 million in the first eight weeks.

Hospital Atlántida in La Ceiba is experiencing dangerous power outages during surgeries because its backup generator is broken, leaving operating rooms dark during procedures.

Starting June 25, Honduras will no longer require travelers departing the country to show proof of measles vaccination, though health officials continue to recommend the vaccine two weeks before travel given ongoing regional transmission.

Health authorities confirmed a sixth measles case in Honduras in 2026—a 29-year-old Italian citizen who contracted the virus while traveling in Guatemala and later arrived on the island of Utila in the Bay Islands; officials are conducting epidemiological surveillance and urging vaccination.

Authorities in Santa Bárbara culled 32,000 birds at a farm in San Pedro Zacapa after confirming a case of H5 avian influenza, and have quarantined the facility; officials say the outbreak is under control and eggs and chicken remain safe for consumers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Chef Sandra Isabel Díaz del Valle Hernández died on June 10; authorities are investigating and attempting to locate the physician who treated her, amid unconfirmed reports linking her death to complications from a cosmetic procedure.

President Asfura's government and the Medical College of Honduras agreed on a new salary scale, reinstatement of separated physicians, and improved benefits for health-sector workers, ending the physicians' nationwide informational assemblies.

Honduras's agricultural authority confirmed H5N1 avian influenza in black vultures found dead in El Higuito, Lempira, and activated containment protocols; domestic poultry in the area remain healthy, but officials urged stronger biosecurity measures.

The Medical College of Honduras and the Health Ministry are negotiating over physician demands including back pay and job security, with proposals now being reviewed by union members while doctors maintain informational assemblies at hospitals nationwide.

President Asfura announced agreements to pay 300 doctors owed salaries since December 2025 and formalize contracts for 87 physicians, with a June 30 deadline, following talks with the Medical College of Honduras.

Honduras's Health Secretariat has made measles vaccination mandatory for travelers heading to Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, or Canada, following confirmation of two recent imported cases; the country has recorded no domestic measles transmission since 1997.

Health Ministry data show 3,271 colon cancer cases were recorded in Honduras between 2015 and 2025, with 2025 marking the highest single-year total at 446 cases, as patients also face chronic shortages of drugs and supplies in public hospitals.