Three people in eastern Anzoátegui died from hantavirus, Venezuela said Tuesday, while two deaths of health workers in southwestern Barinas are still under investigation as suspected cases.
The Health Ministry said there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and described both clusters as isolated incidents that do not pose a broader community risk.
Health workers will be sent to the affected states, and the Venezuelan Medical Federation said the three confirmed deaths in Anzoátegui were members of the same family in rural Miranda municipality.
Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with rodents and can cause fatal lung infection or kidney failure; person-to-person spread is rare but has drawn scrutiny after a May cruise-ship outbreak killed 3 passengers.