Browse Honduras Daily Stories

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.

The government announced imports of beans from Brazil, Nicaragua, and Paraguay to prevent shortages affecting 1.7 million people facing food insecurity, but an agricultural anthropologist warns the strategy undermines local farmers and discourages domestic production.

Gasoline, diesel, and kerosene prices increased across Honduras starting July 20, with sector officials attributing the hikes to Middle East instability affecting global oil supplies and urging consumers to adopt fuel-saving measures.

The president of Congress's health committee said lawmakers could consider requiring vaccination records for children if measles cases and low immunization coverage persist, while authorities urge parents to get children vaccinated free at public health facilities.

Authorities are considering upgrading drought alerts from green to yellow for 75 municipalities in the Dry Corridor and possibly adding 40 more, as recent rains have failed to reverse critical water deficits affecting drinking water, agriculture, and forest-fire risk.

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.

Honduras's national human-rights ombudsman cited an average of 29 violent deaths of women per month over 24 years and warned that legal penalties alone cannot stop gender violence without stronger investigations, prevention policies, and institutional safeguards for vulnerable women and girls.

Customs revenue from import duties (DAI) surged 18% year-over-year, reflecting stronger commercial activity and modernization efforts by the Customs Administration to streamline procedures and reduce processing times.

Honduras has recorded 5,064 cases of dengue and 89 severe cases, with the capital city accounting for 24% of infections and teenagers and young adults bearing the heaviest burden; health authorities also report 12 confirmed measles cases and 15 deaths linked to whooping cough, citing low childhood vaccination compliance.

Honduras will see mostly dry conditions with weak scattered rains in the east, center, and west, high temperatures peaking at 39°C in Choluteca, and air-quality concerns from Saharan dust at 35 micrograms per cubic meter; authorities urge hydration and respiratory protection.

Honduras is planting 1,000 manzanas (about 700 hectares) with high-yield certified rice seed imported from the Dominican Republic in a pilot program costing roughly 5 million lempiras (about $187,000) to improve grain quality and reduce import dependence.

Honduras's liquidation commission says it will complete the operational closure of seven institutions created under the previous administration by August, with the Finance Ministry handling final administrative steps in September; audits have uncovered irregularities now under investigation.

Finance Secretary Emilio Hernández Hércules said Honduras is proceeding with an open auction of the presidential aircraft and plans to issue up to 16 billion lempiras (about $640 million) in bonds, with proceeds aimed at paying accumulated debts to electricity generators and addressing the state power utility's financial crisis.

A year-long drought has reduced agricultural supply and driven up prices for everyday produce, with the basic food basket rising 6.16% (about 800 lempiras / $30) since June 2025, and the food-security observatory warning that 2.8 million Hondurans could face food insecurity by year-end.

The government unveiled a multisectoral plan to combat food insecurity by 2035, coordinating 13 ministries to boost agricultural output, expand irrigation and financing, establish grain reserves, and strengthen school nutrition programs in rural areas.

The Inter-American Development Bank ranked Honduras among the region's fastest-growing exporters in early 2026, led by coffee, apparel manufacturing, bananas, and palm oil, though it warned of risks from market volatility and rising costs.

Honduras's immunization director said a rigorous review of three child deaths following vaccination found no scientific evidence of a causal link, attributing the deaths to preexisting medical conditions, and urged parents to keep children's vaccination schedules current.

Honduras has launched a centralized registry administered by the banking regulator to identify the true owners of companies, trusts, and investment funds operating in the country, aimed at eliminating corporate anonymity and meeting international transparency standards.

Arca de Esperanzas, which provides rehabilitation and therapy to people with neurological disabilities, says the Health Ministry has not signed the agreement to release L3.49 million (about $140,000) approved in the 2026 budget, threatening to suspend services for hundreds of families.

Honduras executed only 33.4% of its national budget in the first half of 2026, a shortfall economists attribute to Congress's late April approval, which delayed state investment in health, education, and infrastructure.

Honduras's agriculture ministry held an international workshop on bean breeding with scientists from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) to develop improved varieties that resist disease, tolerate climate stress, and boost yields, addressing the country's annual demand of about 3 million quintals (roughly 135,000 metric tons).

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina announced a six-month health emergency for highly pathogenic avian influenza in backyard poultry, enabling rapid inspections and containment measures across commercial farms and small holdings; the government says chicken and egg production will continue normally.

Honduras will send 1,000 workers to Spain in 2026 under a circular migration program coordinated with Spain, Guatemala, and the Inter-American Development Bank, up from over 800 Honduran agricultural workers placed in 2025, with formal contracts and a 97% return rate.

The number of Hondurans seeking refuge or asylum abroad reached 262,913 people in 2025, with the UN refugee agency citing crime-related violence, extortion, climate impacts, and economic collapse as drivers, while Honduras's human-rights ombudsman warns that early intervention could have kept many in the country.

Honduras's Health Ministry convened national and international specialists with the Pan American Health Organization and UNICEF to strengthen early-warning systems and disease surveillance using a "One Health" approach that links human, animal, and environmental health.

Honduras's Social Ministry is accepting applications through June 30 for a national scholarship program offering monthly stipends to about 8,000 university students (ages 17–40) pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees, with a budget of 224 million lempiras (about $9 million).

President Nasry Asfura announced that medical brigades will begin Monday in Candelaria, Lempira, and expand to other rural communities, offering consultations and health services to residents who face long distances and high costs to reach hospitals in major cities.

Honduras will experience afternoon rains from a tropical wave and elevated concentrations of Saharan dust drifting across the Atlantic, with temperatures reaching 36°C in the south; authorities advise vulnerable groups to limit outdoor exposure and monitor air quality.

Honduras auctioned its Embraer Legacy 600 presidential aircraft to a Mexican engineering company, THEBE Ingeniería y Consultoría, for 137.8 million lempiras (about $5.1 million) on July 10, with the government pledging proceeds to health and education.

Honduras's National Center for Atmospheric Studies forecasts two tropical waves crossing the country Wednesday and Saturday, with heavy rainfall expected in the western, central, and eastern regions, potentially relieving drought conditions affecting water supplies.