The Cuban health authorities themselves have admitted that the official numbers of infected people represent an under-report.
MIAMI, United States. – The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) confirmed this Friday three new deaths associated with the current dengue and chikungunya epidemic, bringing the number of deaths to 47 throughout the country. According to the health authorities themselves, “the majority [de los 47 muertos] They are under 18 years old.”
The Vice Minister of Public Health, Carilda Peña García, offered the latest figures on Cuban state television. In his appearance, in addition to specifying the cumulative number of deaths, he insisted on the need to pay extreme attention to infants and other vulnerable groups. Of the three new deaths reported, one was due to dengue and two to chikungunya, the official explained.
Peña García also reported that in the previous day, 3,275 cases of nonspecific febrile syndrome were recorded, the first common symptom of both arboviruses. In that same period, 1,417 cases of chikungunya were confirmed, which brought the cumulative number of infections due to this disease to 44,604, according to official data released by the MINSAP.
In contrast to the level of detail about chikungunya, the entity does not offer exact numbers of dengue cases in its daily reports. However, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which uses official statistics provided by the Cuban Government itself, indicates that since the beginning of the year and until the end of November, 25,995 dengue infections had been recorded on the Island.
Regarding the severity of the clinical symptoms, Peña García added that 53 people remain admitted to intensive care units due to complications associated with dengue or chikungunya.
The Cuban health authorities themselves have admitted that the official numbers of infected people represent an under-report. As recalled on state television, many patients do not go to medical centers.
The Cuban Government recognized for the first time on November 12 the existence of a chikungunya and dengue epidemic in the country, despite the fact that the first cases were diagnosed in July and infections began to skyrocket in September and October.
The epidemic has found especially favorable terrain in Cuba to expand due to the serious economic crisis that the country is going through. This situation limits the capacity for prevention – particularly massive fumigation against mosquitoes –, control – through laboratory tests to confirm the type of disease – and care for the sick, due to the lack of medicines and other health supplies.
