Baby being vaccinated. Photo: Bolivian Ministry for Health and Sports/file photo.
Bolivian President Luis Arce expressed his deep gratitude to the Venezuelan government and its people for donating 100,000 doses of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines, arriving at a critical time for Bolivian public health.
In a gesture of regional solidarity, Bolivia received significant support from Venezuela on Saturday, June 28, to combat the measles epidemic affecting the country.
“The Great Homeland advances united, with the strength of Latin American brotherhood and solidarity,” the Bolivian president wrote on social media, highlighting this aid’s importance amid a recently declared National Health Emergency.
Nota de prensa | Cancillería gestiona entrega de 100.000 vacunas contra el sarampión desde Venezuela
🔗 https://t.co/AjZvdO1yH7#DiplomaciaDeLosPueblos #PorLaVida#UnidosHaciaElBicentenario pic.twitter.com/4E1j1pJ1qb— Cancillería de Bolivia 🇧🇴 (@MRE_Bolivia) June 28, 2025
The vaccines were delivered at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz, the department hardest hit by the epidemic. Venezuelan Ambassador to Bolivia César Trómpiz made the formal delivery, while Bolivian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmer Catarina and Vice Minister of Promotion, Epidemiological Surveillance and Traditional Medicine Max Enríquez received the doses.
This donation aligns Venezuela with Bolivia’s efforts to contain measles’ rapid spread. Sixty-five cases have been confirmed: 61 in Santa Cruz, three in La Paz and one in Potosí.
Distribution strategy
Enríquez explained vaccines will prioritize Santa Cruz, where most cases are concentrated. “This support is greatly appreciated by the Ministry of Health, but above all by the beneficiary population,” he stated, urging parents to vaccinate children at health centers.
Venezuela’s solidarity comes as Bolivia declared a national health emergency on June 24. Since April, a “national epidemiological health alert” has been active due to regional measles cases increases.
Santa Cruz Departmental Health Service director Jaime Bilbao thanked Venezuela, expressing confidence that coordinated efforts will contain the disease that “mostly attacks our children.”
Bolivia’s mass vaccination prioritizes children ages 1 to 5. Measles vaccines are free and administered in two doses, with adjusted scheduling during the epidemic.
This solidarity strengthens bilateral bonds and demonstrates regional cooperation’s importance in crises. As President Arce stated: “The solidarity of our sister nations is evident with strength and commitment.”
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SA
