Venezuela’s health ministry and the government of Zulia, the oil-producing state around Lake Maracaibo in the north-west, launched a rabies control plan on Saturday 7 November 2026. A mass vaccination drive for dogs and cats runs from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November, after five human rabies cases in the state this year.
Key Facts
- Plan. The health ministry and Zulia’s government launched a rabies control plan on 7 November 2026.
- Drive. Dogs and cats get vaccinated from 13 to 15 November in nine municipalities, the state’s local districts.
- Target. More than 80% of dogs and cats in the priority areas.
- Cases. Six human rabies cases in Venezuela this year, five of them in Zulia.
- Lab. 154 of 219 samples from suspect cases in Zulia, human samples included, were positive (70.32%).
What the Plan Covers
Health Minister Carlos Alvarado and Zulia governor Luis Caldera presented the Rabies Comprehensive Control Action Plan 2026. Maracaibo is the state capital, and our explainer gives the city’s background.
The first phase covers nine municipalities: Maracaibo, Mara, San Francisco, La Cañada de Urdaneta, Miranda, Lagunillas, Simón Bolívar, Cabimas and Santa Rita. The ministry says laboratory tests found rabies outbreaks in animals in most of these areas.
Door-to-door teams, 130 brigades in all, will cover 109 parishes (parroquias, the sub-municipal districts) and 582 communes, local community councils. Fixed points include 64 community health areas, known as ASIC, and partner pharmacy chains.
Two large sites in Maracaibo, Parque Ana María Campos and Vereda del Lago, will also vaccinate. The goal is more than 80% of dogs and cats in the priority areas.
Authorities ask people to report bites, scratches or unusual aggression in dogs and cats to the emergency line 911. Owners must carry the animal’s vaccination card in public, or face a sanction.
What the Data Show
The ministry’s epidemiological bulletin for week 42 of its reporting calendar (18 to 24 October 2026) lists six human rabies cases in Venezuela this year, none in that week. Five are in Zulia and involve the canine strain, which dogs transmit.
They are a 44-year-old man in Lagunillas, a 20-year-old man in Miranda, a 68-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy in Maracaibo, and a 6-year-old boy in San Francisco. The sixth is a 14-year-old girl in Sifontes municipality, Bolívar state, with sylvatic rabies, the strain found in wild animals.
The bulletin lists cases and does not state outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) says rabies is virtually always fatal once symptoms appear.
In Zulia’s laboratory, 154 of 219 samples, eight of them human, tested positive (70.32%) by direct immunofluorescence, a test that detects the virus in tissue. Dogs account for 128 positives from 179 samples, cats for 19 from 29, and one bat also tested positive.
The bulletin counts 148 animal rabies outbreaks in nine of Zulia’s 21 municipalities. Maracaibo has 77 and San Francisco 23, together 67.57% of the total.
Nationwide, suspected rabies bites reached 977 in week 42, up from 953 the week before. That sits in the epidemic zone of the national endemic channel, the ministry’s chart of expected case ranges.
Suspected bites in 2026 total 42,363, against 32,647 a year earlier, roughly 30% more by simple division. Week 42 is the latest bulletin we found.
What It Means for You
Zulia is an oil-producing region, so oil workers, contractors and visitors there may meet the dogs and cats this drive targets. Our report on Zulia’s power supply covers another pressure on daily life there.
Anyone bitten by a dog abroad should wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and seek post-exposure vaccination (shots given after a bite) at once, the WHO advises. More background is in our Venezuela coverage.
What Is Not Known
It is not yet known how many animals will actually be vaccinated, or whether the drive reaches the districts with the most outbreaks. Nor is it known how many people were bitten and treated.
The bulletin gives no reason why suspected bites run well above last year. The data stop at 24 October, so later bulletins will show whether the trend changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the vaccination drive?
It runs from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026 in nine Zulia municipalities, including Maracaibo and Cabimas. Brigades visit homes, and fixed points include health areas, partner pharmacies and two large sites in Maracaibo.
What should I do after a dog bite?
The World Health Organization advises washing the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes. It also advises seeking post-exposure vaccination at once.
How many human rabies cases has Venezuela recorded?
The ministry’s week 42 bulletin lists six cases in 2026, five of them in Zulia. It lists the cases and does not state outcomes.
Sources: Ministry of Health press release on the plan; Ministry of Health epidemiological bulletin, week 42; World Health Organization rabies fact sheet; all read 9 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error