Cuba is registering an average of 700 new cases of chikungunya daily in October, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
14ymedio, Madrid, November 18, 2025 — This Tuesday, a report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) indicated that Cuba registered an average of 700 new daily cases of chikungunya in October, the vast majority in Havana and Matanzas.
Last week, authorities reported a cumulative total of 21,681 cases, while for dengue fever, data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO ) shows 9,602 cases and a very high incidence rate of 87.79 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. According to estimates from the Ministry of Health, approximately 30% of Cubans have contracted one of the two diseases during this outbreak.
According to data compiled by the Americas section of the World Health Organization (WHO), the cumulative incidence in Cuba is 183.43 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in all of the Americas this year, above Brazil (112.07) and the averages of the Caribbean (43.53) and the entire continent (26).
Adding to these figures is the fact that patients treated for fever symptoms increased by 2.5% last week, bad news after last Tuesday when the director of epidemiology, Francisco Durán said that infections had been declining for two weeks.
On Monday, Vice Minister Carilda Peña García delivered the bad news, adding bluntly that the fundamental cause is the “very high” infestation rates of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The official stated that Pinar del Río, Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Havana, and Villa Clara are the most affected provinces, although the entire country is now affected, with the exception of Isla de la Juventud, which is still considered an “alert zone.” The rest of the country remains classified as an “endemic epidemic corridor.”
Dengue fever is more localized in the west and center of the island, with Villa Clara, Havana, Sancti Spíritus, Las Tunas and Artemisa at the forefront, but transmission has been demonstrated in 13 provinces.
The worst cases are concentrated in Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Guantánamo, which have simultaneous circulation of both diseases.
Peña García stressed the importance of fumigation – which has arrived late and with great difficulty, due to a lack of supplies, according to specialists speaking on television last week – and pointed out that it is progressing unevenly, since the plan was to cover all urban areas in three weeks, but only Mayabeque, Havana, Cienfuegos, Ciego de Ávila and Santiago de Cuba reached 95%.
Faced with resistance from some residents to allowing fumigation teams access, Peña García reminded them that during an epidemic, not only is it mandatory but obsctruction also constitutes a crime of spreading disease. He further emphasized the importance, now more than ever, of citizens participating in eliminating breeding grounds, cleaning water tanks, and other measures, each according to their means. The responses to the video, posted on Canal Caribe’s social media, reflect the discontent of a population that insists fumigation is not taking place.
“In Camagüey, we live two blocks from the provincial hospital, and everyone on my block has the virus, and there’s no fumigation,” laments one user. Responses from nearly every province highlight the alarming situation and how the reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg, since many people aren’t going to the hospital. “The saddest, most painful thing, and what should most concern our authorities is the loss of trust and credibility many Cubans have in our healthcare system, which was once, without any chauvinism, the best in the world. Why would I go if there’s nothing available and many healthcare workers are also infected?” another commenter laments.
Yamirka Montesino Felipe, head of the National Group of Pediatric Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, reiterated that hospitalization is essential for all children under two years old with fever, as they are one of the most vulnerable groups. If, in addition, there is a comorbidity such as diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, or kidney problems, the risk is even higher.
“When a child develops a fever and the family seeks medical assistance immediately, we can reach the sick patient early and prevent complications,” something that is key to “reversing potentially adverse developments” for the child. He warned that fever is more persistent in children and can cause skin lesions, including blisters, which are very uncomfortable and painful for them. However, the very painful joint pain that adults experience is less pronounced in children.
Montesino Felipe reminded everyone that it is crucial to keep children hydrated, as gastrointestinal symptoms can lead to dangerous dehydration.
Montesino Felipe emphasized the importance of keeping children hydrated, as gastrointestinal symptoms can lead to dangerous dehydration. This basic advice wouldn’t seem so difficult were it not for the supply problems plaguing the island, exacerbated by Hurricane Melissa’s impact on some provinces. This situation, coupled with sanitation issues, hinders treatment and increases the risk of the disease spreading. Last week, María Guadalupe Guzmán Tirado, director of the Research, Diagnosis, and Reference Center at the Pedro Kourí Institute (IPK), acknowledged this, warning that the proliferation of water tanks in homes—caused by the unreliable water supply—is compounded by “inadequate solid waste management and sanitation deficiencies.”
Diana Couto Núñez, president of the Cuban Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, also spoke about another vulnerable group: pregnant women, who also require urgent hospitalization. “Diagnosis cannot be done at home. That has to be done at the hospital,” she said, especially if they suffer from hypertension or diabetes, as serious complications could arise.
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