The Cuban health authorities raised this Thursday to 40,174 the official record of chikungunya cases, in the midst of an epidemic which is advancing rapidly and which also coincides with the expansion of other arboviruses such as dengue and respiratory diseases on the island.
The Vice Minister of Public Health, Carilda Peña, reported on television that 574 new chikungunya infections were detected the previous day.
Added to this are 4,102 new cases of non-specific febrile syndrome, making them now 36,667 people admitted, most of them at homewaiting for diagnosis.
About half of chikungunya infections occurred in Novembersince the accumulated number from 2025 until October was 20,062, according to data released by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Last week alone, 5,717 new cases were reported, according to a report from EFE.
The authorities have recognized that the country is in a “complicated situation” due to the epidemic, and have projected an “unfavorable” evolution in the coming weeks.
PAHO data on chikungunya in Cuba
The national reports are aligned with the alerts of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)which places Cuba among the countries hardest hit by the disease in the region.
At the beginning of November, the accumulated incidence was 183.43 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, the highest in America; This week that number continued to rise and now stands at 350.57 to continue leading the continent in this worrying statistic.
This, despite the fact that reality could far exceed the official figures, due to the lack of diagnostic tests and the fact that many people do not go to health centers. The authorities themselves have recognized that their statistics are underreported for these reasons.
With more than 40 thousand officially infected, the island is the second with the highest number of cases on the continentonly behind Brazil, which reports more than 240 thousand.
Precisely, the South American giant follows Cuba in the incidence rate, although quite far away: 113.75 patients per 100 thousand inhabitants.
Regarding mortality, PAHO indicates that only Brazil (116), Cuba (21) and Bolivia (4) have reported deaths from chikungunya.
According to the Minsap, a total of 33 people have died on the island from causes associated with chikungunya and also dengue.
Cuba registers 33 deaths from chikungunya and dengue, 21 of them minors
Health crisis still uncontrolled
Regarding dengue, Peña pointed out that the daily incidence is 7.69 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, which is equivalent to about 745 active infections, considering the total population of the country.
At the moment, 78 patients are reported as serious and 13 in critical conditionwith a predominance of minors.
The Cuban Government officially declared the epidemic on November 12, despite the fact that the first cases were detected in July and the sustained increase began in September and October.
The epidemic has found fertile ground in Cuba to spread due to the serious economic crisis that the country is suffering.
Such a scenario has limited fumigation, diagnosis and medical care capabilities, factors that have favored the spread of both arboviruses.
