The Ministry of Public Health on the Island recognized for the first time the death of three people as a result of the epidemiological crisis.
LIMA, Peru – Health authorities in Cienfuegos warned about the increase in arboviruses in the province, especially in the Palmira municipality where between 250 and 350 cases with febrile syndrome are reported weekly.
The Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana has made the diagnosis of the epidemiological crisis in the territory of Cienfuegos, highlighting the circulation of chikungunya.
A report from the state telecenter Perlavision TV recognizes that, among those affected, the total population amounts to 90% in terms of home admission.
“Generally in the popular councils of Palmira North and South, which could be confirmed with the PCR tests that were done. And as everyone knows, chikungunya has its characteristics. It is a disease that causes high fever, myalgase, arthralia, and it spreads very quickly, since the vector is found everywhere,” said a health director consulted by the official press.
Low risk perception is a key element in the face of infection, the report highlights. According to the municipality’s health authority, fumigation and investigation are already underway, cases are being blocked and sanitation campaigns are being carried out.
Epidemiological crisis: a national emergency
The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) recognized for the first time the death of three people from dengue in Cuba so far in 2025, without specifying ages, dates or provinces. The figure was communicated by Vice Minister Carilda Peña García in an appearance disclosed by the official press. The official added that the virus “is being transmitted in 36 municipalities in 12 provinces of the country.”
The official note also confirmed the simultaneous circulation of chikungunya—of “higher incidence”—and Oropouche.
The public communication from MINSAP comes after weeks of social alarm and previous denials from official bodies. While reports of infections and deaths grew, authorities insisted on denying any death. The Minister of Public Health himself, José Ángel Portal, stated: “No one can hide an epidemic or the dead.”
In his speech this Wednesday, Peña García maintained that “Cuba is a country that has an endemic of (…) dengue, that is, during the 12 months of the year the country has samples, presents, confirms or diagnoses cases of dengue.”
The official also pointed out two annual critical moments—“around week number 20 and then around week 40”—and attributed the rebound to temperature and humidity conditions favorable to the Aedes aegypti. “At those two times of the year, as the generation of the vector increases, it bites more and, of course, there is an increase in the disease,” he said.
The vice minister also described the expansion of chikungunya in Havana, Artemisa, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Granma and Guantánamo, with “sporadic cases” in Perico (Matanzas), where was detected for the first time this year.
Likewise, he clarified that chikungunya “is not associated with critical cases or deaths.” In parallel, he insisted on the sufficiency of supplies: “We now have enough insecticide and abatement in the country to carry out actions in the strata where there is active transmission.”
However, this same Wednesday, during an interview at the Midday News, The vice minister of Public Health recognized fuel limitations that prevent “carrying out large fumigations as in the past.”
