Residents of Cárdenas complain about the accumulation of garbage in the city as outbreaks of chikungunya and dengue increase
14ymedio, Matanzas, September 22, 2025 — An epidemiological alert due to the circulation of viruses caused by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes Aegypti and announced in Cárdenas, Matanzas, has triggered alarm among the population. TV Yumurí posted on social media about “the high incidence of chikungunya, which causes disability, while a second variant of dengue is circulating.”
The report described the increase in cases as “remarkable” and added that it is cause for commotion among residents of the city, “with symptoms present in all Popular Councils.” Although no deaths have been reported or seriously ill patients, several comments suggest that there are cases of deaths. One person who comments is Israel Roche, who gives his own grandfather and a neighbor as examples.
In Colón, another of the municipalities most affected by the epidemiological crisis, Olga’s family has seen “all my relatives fall one by one into bed,” says the woman, the only one in her household who hasn’t been infected yet. “It causes a lot of pain in the joints, and when it seems that it’s gone it comes back, and for patients who suffer from high blood pressure it makes it shoot up,” she reports.
“Several samples have been sent to the IPK, and the results confirm the presence of Covid”
“My mom, who is almost 90 years old, had a hard time and still has trouble walking,” she explains. ” We took her to the polyclinic but the doctor who treated her could do little; he told her to rest and drink a lot of liquid.” Jagüey Grande, Jovellanos, Los Arabos, Santa Marta and Las Guásimas are some of the most affected localities in the province.
“There is no leadership here,” warns a taxi driver living in Santa Marta, who survives by carrying tourists between nearby Varadero and the provincial capital. The man points to the lack of hygiene and the scant spraying against mosquitoes as the main causes of the current health problems suffered by residents in the area. “In Varadero they have fumigated, but the planes and trucks don’t come this far.”
It is also reported on the official page that “several samples have been sent to the IPK (Institute of Tropical Medicine), and the results confirm the presence of Covid or other viruses caused by Aedes.” They add that all health clinics are activated, and conditions have been created to increase the reception of cases in the hospital.
Similarly, fumigation campaigns are announced “even with the shortage of fuel and other inputs needed to fumigate.” Residents of Cárdenas have reacted by complaining about the large amounts of garbage that accumulate in landfills and the lack of clearing of large areas of grass, which are a habitual source of mosquitoes.
The health authorities in the municipality called for extreme care at home and to go to health institutions for any symptoms. They also warned that the greatest risk today is for people with diabetes, hypertension, asthma and other chronic, non-communicable diseases, because of the possibility of “triggering severe complications due to drug shortages.”
Residents of Matanzas remember that the province was one of the most affected during the pandemic, generating the hashtag “SOS Matanzas”
Yaniel Mesa, a young doctor, commented that Jagüey Grande presents the same picture as Cárdenas: “I think all 13 municipalities are equally affected” he wrote. Mesa holds the government responsible for the unhealthiness and proliferation of disease, consequences of the lack of garbage collection, the blackouts and the poverty. “My whole family is ill with a fever of 102.2 degrees, headache, myalgia and arthritis of the large joints. Plus, there is no Metamizole or acetaminophen for pain and fever,” the doctor added.
Residents of Matanzas remember that the province was one of the most affected during the pandemic, generating the hashtag “SOS Matanzas,” which mobilized Cubans inside and off the Island. The territory has also been one of the most affected by the blackouts and water pollution.
The alarm spreads not only to other municipalities in Matanzas but also to other provinces. From Holguín, neighbors report to 14ymedio cases with similar symptoms, without frequent investigations, as in previous outbreaks. They also complain about the increase in mosquitoes and jenenes (gnats) as well as diseases that have begun to be called “covidengue,” since they present symptoms that combine those caused by dengue and Covid-19.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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