The spread of diseases like chikungunya, dengue, oropouche, and zika has exposed deep flaws in Cuba's health infrastructure and the state's response capacity. These mosquito-borne arboviruses cause intense bone and joint pain that can become chronic. While the government promotes individual prevention campaigns, structural issues like uncollected garbage and water leaks worsen the crisis.
In Cuba, daily life is overshadowed by the mosquito threat, spreading arboviruses like chikungunya—whose name in Kimakonde means 'to bend over in pain.' Infected individuals report a burning sensation immobilizing bones and joints, with chronic effects lasting months or years, as warned by the Pan American Health Organization. In a nation with an aging population and declining nutrition, these impacts impose an almost unbearable burden.
Fumigation, the government's primary measure, proves ineffective: assigned fuel is often diverted to the black market, resulting in irregular operations with diluted products. This turns the effort into a symbolic act that fails to safeguard residents.
Official campaigns urge people to 'cover your tank, turn over your bucket,' but this individual blame masks structural problems. True breeding sites include micro-dumps—piles of uncollected garbage lingering for weeks—and leaks from broken pipes forming permanent water pools. A single bucket can produce hundreds of larvae, while a micro-dump generates millions.
Diagnoses rely on clinical assessment due to reagent shortages for specific tests, underestimating the epidemic's scale. Medications such as steroids, IV fluids, and painkillers are available only on the black market at unaffordable prices. The rapid exodus of health professionals has created unfillable technical and human gaps.
Visiting a doctor ensures paperwork for work absences but not relief, even amid high fevers. Official reports remain scarce, incomplete, and delayed; many patients self-medicate at home and evade statistics. This arbovirus outbreak highlights broader decay: structural failures, mismanagement, and neglect of essential services.