The main tourist market on the Island registers a slight drop this year after two previous warnings
14ymedio, Havana, 1 September 2024 — For the third time in less than a year, the Government of Canada has published a warning, now about the increase in dengue fever, targeting its nationals traveling to Cuba.
The two previous alerts – about the increase in violence and the shortage of basic necessities – had little effect on the arrival of Canadian tourists. Although there was a slight reduction compared to 2023, Canada remains the leading supplier of tourists to Cuba, accounting for 42% of the 1,463,097 travelers who entered the Island in the first half of this year.
In the statement, published on August 26, the authorities explained that “dengue fever is a risk for travelers” and, in some cases, leads to a serious state in the patient, “which can be fatal.” This third alert could have a more powerful deterrent effect than the previous ones and further harm the tourism sector, which has not recovered from the disaster caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Canadian government failed to include the Oropouche virus in its risk assessment.
The authorities state that “dengue is a risk for travelers” and, in some cases, leads to a serious state in the patient, “which can be fatal”
The official Cuban figures up to August indicated more than 400 infected with Oropouche in the country. The authorities then recognized that the virus had ceased to “present itself exclusively in rural areas” and mainly affected the population of the cities, “causing a significant increase in the number of cases.” However, according to unofficial data, thousands of patients do not declare their illness, and 14ymedio verified that in Santiago de Cuba alone, where the first cases were reported, dozens of people suffered from the virus.
Both dengue and Oropouche have been increasing in the number of infections in the country. The reason, in addition to the hot summer and the increase in the presence of mosquitoes and jejenes (gnats), is that there are plenty of foci of contagion in the cities, in particular the mountains of garbage.
It was the US government that gave the alert about the presence of Oropouche in Cuba, and last month it identified 21 people affected on their return from the Island, three of whom had to be hospitalized.
These 21 cases were counted as of August 16, and in most of them those diagnosed showed symptoms between the months of May and July, without any deaths being recorded, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Both dengue and Oropouche have been increasing in the number of infections in the country
Cuba, as a tourist destination, has been on red alert since last October after Ottawa’s warnings, when it advised caution in traveling to the island due to the “scarcity of basic necessities, including food, medicines and fuel.”
In May, the Canadian government stressed the increase in violence, assaults and financial scams, including credit card fraud and the risks associated with ATMs which frequently run out of cash.
Canadian authorities also reported that the Cuban health care infrastructure is critically deficient, with a marked lack of medicines, supplies and equipment, aggravated by insufficient hygiene practices and slow responses to emergencies.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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