A third of the Cuban population has been infected in recent months denguechikungunya and other arboviruses, according to estimates by the island’s Health authorities.
The data is derived from what was said this Wednesday by Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of Epidemiology, during the television program Round Table dedicated to the critical health situation on the island, to which the authorities finally They have begun to classify it as an epidemic.
Durán, who became a familiar face for Cubans during the COVID-19 pandemic, denied that 90% of Cubans have already been infected with some arbovirus – as has been claimed on the networks – but recognized that “in the evaluations carried out, percentages of around 30%, 30-something percent have been found.”
This percentage represents around a third of the Cuban population, which, according to official figureswas around 9.7 million at the end of 2024. This means that the number of patients would be over 3 million, although the specialist did not give a precise figure.
A day before, the authorities had mentioned about 21 thousand cases of chikungunya during a government meeting on the subject, while the latest data offered on dengue, weeks ago, was much lower.
Cuban government recognizes the outbreak of chikungunya, dengue and oropouche as an epidemic
“Downward trend”
Dr. Durán did not detail how the percentage of patients was estimated, at least it is not reported by the review made by Cubadebate. He stressed that the infectious ailments that have spread across the island — and that many Cubans simply call “the virus” — are not “a viral influenza or a different disease,” but rather “arboviruses known as dengue and chikungunya.”
The official from the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) asserted that the transmission of these diseases—which have spread unchecked in Cuba in recent months—has a “downward trend,” although he noted that the situation “is still [es] acute.”
In this sense, he and other Health authorities asked the population “not to be overconfident” and go to the doctor if symptoms appear. They also sought collaboration in public sanitation – while garbage accumulates for days in many areas – the elimination of mosquito breeding sites and community support for the sick, particularly the elderly.
Among the provinces identified with a more complex scenario are Matanzas – where the chikungunya outbreak would have begun – and Havana, although the transmission spreads practically throughout the island, while the networks denounce the under-reporting of cases in several territories and especially alert about the situation in the eastern zone after the hurricane.
On a positive note, Durán assured that last week “no cases or suspects” of oropouche were confirmed – the most benign of the arboviruses spread on the island – something that has already happened in other weeks and confirms, he said, a “trend to decrease” of this virus.
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No death toll
An element again omitted by the health authorities was the number of fatalities due to the current arbovirus epidemic in the country.
While cases of people who have died in the current epidemiological scenario are reported daily on the networks, as well as funeral homes and cemeteries with a number of deaths much higher than that recorded under normal conditions, the Round Table He ignored this very sensitive topic.
Nor were death figures revealed at this week’s government meeting. Only in mid-October did the Cuban authorities They reported the death of only three people due to serious complications of dengue, a statistic that is clearly very far from reality.
However, unlike other interventions in which Health officials had minimized the possible fatal effects of chikungunya, this time the exposure to this disease, its symptoms and evolution was much more dramatic and revealing.
“Chikungunya can lead to death and must be treated with the appropriate seriousness,” warned Dr. Yagen María Pomares, director of Primary Health Care at Minsap, who insisted on the importance of hydration, rest and medical surveillance.
Clinical studies will begin on medication to counteract chikungunya symptoms
Income, care, chronicity
The official assured that all patients with “non-specific febrile symptoms” must be admitted, even when that admission is in their own homes, and children under two years of age, pregnant women and other people at risk are prioritized for hospitalization.
Regarding citizen complaints about hospital collapses and lack of tests and medicines, Pomares acknowledged that “at a certain time” there may be “delay in health services,” due to the volume of patients or the low availability of some medications,” but said that there were “sufficient beds and an organized system to guarantee care.”
In addition, he said that the national industry “has made the necessary supplies and medicines available,” while donations have been received from international organizations.
For his part, Dr. Daniel González Rubio, infectious disease specialist at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK), explained the persistence of this ailment, which in its subacute phase can last up to three months with persistent pain, stiffness and even relapses.
In addition, he specified that “a small group” of patients may present a chronic phase of the disease for years. According to Pomares, these patients should receive “multidisciplinary care” in rehabilitation rooms, with “therapies that promote joint recovery.”
