Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health reported 20,062 confirmed chikungunya cases as of November 3, with another 2,000 suspected dengue cases. The disease is concentrated mainly in western and central provinces, though official figures appear to underestimate the epidemic’s true scale. Experts attribute the rapid rise to low population immunity and environmental conditions favoring mosquito breeding.
On November 3, during a press conference, Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) announced that 20,062 patients had been diagnosed with chikungunya in hospitals and clinics nationwide, along with 2,000 suspected dengue cases. The prevalence is concentrated in provinces such as Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Camagüey, according to Deputy Minister Carilda Peña.
However, residents like Mirna Betancourt from Florida in Camagüey question the accuracy of these statistics. “At least on my block, nobody’s gone to the doctor. Why bother, if even the children are sent home with nothing but instructions to rest and stay hydrated? I’m sure that, for statistical purposes, we appear as a ‘healthy’ neighborhood, even though right now there’s at least one sick person in every household,” said Betancourt. This municipality was the epicenter of dengue outbreaks in 2019 and COVID-19 in 2021, where authorities downplayed the severity.
Dr. María Guadalupe Guzmán from the Pedro Kourí Institute attributed the exponential rise to the fact that “the virus had never circulated in our country with the current intensity. That means population immunity levels are low, which becomes a decisive factor.” She acknowledged an undercount of cases, stressing the need for self-care measures.
At the end of October, Camagüey Province’s Communist Party first secretary, Jorge Enrique Sutil Sarabia, toured municipalities including Florida and Nuevitas, criticizing the filth in apartment staircases as mosquito breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti, vector of both diseases. “Almost all of them are filthy, and that’s the residents’ own responsibility. That’s where community hygiene begins. We can’t forget that most mosquito breeding sites are still being found inside households,” he declared.
In the east, following Hurricane Melissa, Santiago de Cuba faces water shortages—only once every 40 days—and garbage accumulation, heightening risks. Along with Havana, Villa Clara, and Camagüey, it accounts for two-thirds of detected mosquito breeding sites. Activists are collecting medicines for affected areas like the Cauto Valley, where post-hurricane destruction complicates epidemic response.