English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Dengue, chikungunya and oropouche are hitting neighborhoods such as Versalles, La Playa and Pueblo Nuevo amid the shortage of medications 14ymedio, Matanzas, Julio César Contreras, September 24, 2025 — In Versalles, Matanzas, the count is made house by house. “There are three patients living there, two in this one, including a child, and here we … Continue reading “A Fever of Unknown Origin Runs Through the City of Matanzas”
Amid severe food insecurity, the number of Cubans with obesity reached 24% 14ymedio, Madrid, 7 March 2025 — Doctor Francisco Durán García, national director of Epidemiology, appears on the news every Wednesday to update the situation in Cuba. But this week he had no alarming information to comment on: oropouche virus fever is under control, … Continue reading “Just a Few Miles Away From Two US Epidemics, Cuba Keeps Measles at Bay, but Not Obesity”
Emigration and the stampede to other sectors have made the lack of health personnel the most alarming problem 14ymedio, Havana, 17 December 2024 — The deputies who make up the Health and Sports Committee of the Cuban Parliament received a dose of reality during the last few months in a province-by-province tour. The situation – … Continue reading “The Deputies Confirm the Painful Situation of the Cuban Health System”
14ymedio, Havana, 29 September 2024 — From the satellite cameras it looks like a stain on the outskirts of Matanzas. Those who walk by have the impression of visiting a museum of Cuban ruins from the last 20 years. It is the city’s landfill, “founded” – if the word can be used – in 2003 … Continue reading “Wild Pigs, Vultures and Dumpster Divers Live From the Garbage in a Giant Landfill in Matanzas, Cuba”
People must deposit solid waste in designated areas starting at 6:00 p.m. 14ymedio, Havana, 21 August 2024 — Havana’s municipality of Cerro has turned to a private company to collect the mountains of garbage that have accumulated for months in the streets. In the area, one of the most densely populated in the Cuban capital, … Continue reading “A Private Company Is Hired in Havana To Collect Mountains of Accumulated Garbage”
14ymedio, Havana, August 10, 2024 — Gasolineras Bienestar, a subsidiary of the state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), sold 21,800 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) to Cuba in the first quarter of this year. The amount represents an increase of 30% with respect to the 16,800 bpd that the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador … Continue reading “Mexico Increased Its Oil Shipments to Cuba in Anticipation of the Venezuelan Crisis”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Mexico City, 9 August 2024 — The Center of Documentation of Cuban Prisons recorded 130 complaints of repressive acts against 94 inmates in Cuban prisons in July, according to a report released Thursday by the independent platform. The NGO, based in Mexico, said that of the total number of complaints from 40 … Continue reading “Mexico-Based NGO Records 130 Violations of Prisoners’ Rights in Cuban Prisons in July”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 6 July 2024 — Sloppy Joe’s Bar, an alcoholic refuge for the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Errol Flynn, used to be one of the culinary temples of Havana but has fallen victim to state apathy. A shortage of bread and other products is impacting its quality of service … Continue reading “Havana’s Famous Sloppy Joe’s Bar Falls Victim to Government Apathy”
In Old Havana, on the corner of Aponte and Gloria, a building in ruins was the living image of the pestilence 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 10 June 2024 — The stench was persistent throughout the capital this Monday. The day dawned cool and threatened rain from early on, but the air, instead of cleaning … Continue reading “With a House Full of Garbage in the Heart of the Capital, Havana Breaks Records for Unhealthiness”
