US Now Says Willing to Cooperate with Cuba against Ebola in Africa

Cuban health workers preparting for their mission to fight Ebola in Africa. Photo: bohemia.cu

HAVANA TIMES — Despite the long ideological enmity between the two countries, the United States is willing to cooperate with Cuba in the fight against Ebola in West Africa, a US government official told dpa on Wednesday.

“We are ready to collaborate with all those who are affected by the virus and also coordinate all our efforts in th efield with the Cuban brigades and the international community,” said Nelson Arboleda of the governmental Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Arboleda participated in Havana at a meeting of specialists from the ALBA bloc of nations to coordinate regional cooperation in the fight against Ebola, invited by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

“We support countries and the Ministries of Health in the Americas to ensure they have the skills to enable them to respond to a possible introduction of Ebola,” Arboleda told journalists beforehand.

“We are ready to cooperate with all the actors who are working in the region (Africa),” he said.

Cuba has taken a lead role by providing 250 doctors and health workers to the international fight against Ebola in West Africa, where the virus has killed about 5,000 people and has sickened more than 10,000.

In October, the Cuban government sent its health workers to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, the three countries most affected by the outbreak. Cuba has a long tradition of sending humanitarian medical missions to Africa.

In recent days, there have been many calls for the United States to cooperate with Cuba in the fight against Ebola, although both countries have no formal diplomatic relations since the early 1960’s.  A New York Times editorial called on Washington to make available to the Cuban medical brigades its equipment and logistical capabilities in Africa.

21 thoughts on “US Now Says Willing to Cooperate with Cuba against Ebola in Africa”

  • Sheltered life? Ojala! I am a black man in San Francisco. Even if I wanted to live a sheltered life, SFPD wouldn’t allow it. My views about Cuba and my views about the Castros are two very different things. My wife’s grandfather is a hard-core Fidelista. I know how guajiros think and God Bless them. I also know without the blood pressure medication that my wife sends to her grandfather, he would likely die. This medication is available in Cuba and a monthly supply costs 3 times his retirement pension. Viva la revolucion!

  • Moses, read “Boot-strap America”. You apparently lead too sheltered a life here in America.
    I have a Cuban family as well, all bien guajiro and all of whom certainly do not share a shred of your views about their country.

  • There was a report a couple days ago of the first Cuban medical worker to die in Africa. The official report said only that he died of cerebral malaria, not ebola.

    However, if he had ben properly protected, he would not have died of malaria.

  • The US used to have embargoes on China & Vietnam. Both of those countries entered into negotiations with the US and came to agreements which ended the trade embargoes.

    Cuba has refused to make the concessions which would allow the US to lift the embargo.

    Saudi Arabia never expropriated the property of US nationals or corporations.

  • we trade with and travel to china, vietnam and saudi arabia to mention a few dictatorships. why not cuba?

  • You hit the nail on the head. My best friend in Cuba who happens to be a surgeon just emailed me that he would not be volunteering to go to West Africa, no because he is afraid of Ebola, but because surgery is not a specialty they are sending. He commented that the initial reports back from West Africa are that the Cuban brigade sent is horribly undersupplied. Even their protective gear is in short supply and they will soon be depending on the gifts of others to do their jobs.

  • My sense of the Cuban reality, the only reality relevant at this site, is REALITY. I just saw a CNN report moments ago about the nearly doubled number of Cubans rescued in the Florida Straits by the US Coast Guard. You can comfortably sit back and support a tyrannical regime that has created an environment where people would risk their lives fleeing Cuba, but I choose to not to pretend that life is good in Cuba. The Cuban people are suffering. Are they suffering in Haiti and Guatemala. Tragically yes. But I have a Cuban family so that is where my attention and energies are better spent. My anti-Castro views are based on personal experience and irrefutable facts. You may be caught up in the romanticism of mojitos, mulattas and salsa dancing, but I have 3 in-laws who have more than 15 years of university education between them and their combined salary is less than $50 a month. I dare not imagine how they would live without my wife’s monthly care packages. There is nothing distorted about how I see Cuba. You can take issue where you please, but please base your attacks on facts and leave the personal crap for lesser minds.

  • How about free elections and human rights for the Cuban people? End the internal embargo imposed by the Castro regime.

  • I didn’t call Moses simple or stupid. Read it again… it’s a common expression, very different than what you are claiming I wrote. I did suggest that he is making himself look stupid. However I know Moses is a rather intellegent person, but he is not immune from regularly making mistakes due to his inerrant arrogant attitude and hatred of the Castros. His handicap only serves to cloud his perception, and diminish his credibility.

  • You’re right… there is no proof that the US did not or would not cooperate with Cuba in West Africa. Nobody is disputing that. But I will always take issue with your distorted sense of reality and anti-Castro propaganda. It will always be your drama that I’ll question.

  • At no time did the US government or any US aid agency say they would not work with all the other charities and international aid missions in Africa fighting the ebola epidemic.

    In past international relief missions, such as Haiti, US organizations worked with Cuban teams.

    The issue was drummed up by the Cuban government as part of their standard propaganda campaign. The Cuban government sent a large team of medical workers (good for them) but as usual, the team lacks material, logistical and financial support from Cuba. Rather than admit they lack the resources to back their teams, they are trying to make it look like the US has behaved badly and that by engaging in this propaganda campaign they somehow managed to shame the US into working with the Cuban teams.

    The kind of “co-operation” the Cuban teams want is for US and other foreign agencies to provide Cuba with free supplies and logistics. The Cuban government certainly do not want any of their medical workers going off to work with US teams, as they know full well the Cuban’s won’t come back.

    When it comes to international relief missions, it’s time the Cuban government put their money where their mouth is. They should provide the necessary support for their own teams rather than demanding everybody else pays their way.

  • Get a grip Terry! Where do you get off calling Moses “simple, stupid, arrogant, and motivated by hatred?

    Discussions at HT would be more productive if people engaged in factual discussions of the issues, rather than resorting stop childish name-calling.

  • Why attack me Terry? The fact is that there is no proof that the US did not or would not cooperate with Cuba in West Africa. So why all the drama?

  • “The title of this post implies that the US was at some point unwilling to cooperate. Really? When was that? Castro propaganda would have dullards believe that Cuba has been wrestling the US for more support in the fight against Ebola. High-schoolers who read the newspaper know that this is not true.”

    So what’s YOUR excuse then? It seems that you’re the only ‘dullard’ around here. Moses, ONLY YOU could possibly jump to that demented conclusion in your quest to spew anti-Castro propaganda. Let me spell it out for you, “simple-stupid” like…so you can have some chance of understanding the situation correctly. But please check your arrogance and your hatred towards the Castros at the door first or it will be a waste of my time.

    Cuba has the doctors…America has the technology. In order to have a reasonable opportunity of Cuban doctors making a significant difference in Africa with boots on the ground, they need to be safely protected and sufficiently armed with the right medical materials that will maximize their contribution. THAT is what is being implied when WRESTLING with America’s cooperation with Cuba. Nothing more, nothing less. Get over yourself. You’re just making yourself look stupid.

  • Your point?

  • HAVANA TIMES — Despite the long ideological enmity between the two
    countries, the United States is willing to cooperate with Cuba in the
    fight against Ebola in West Africa, a US government official told dpa on
    Wednesday.

    “We are ready to collaborate with all those who are affected by the
    virus and also coordinate all our efforts in th efield with the Cuban
    brigades and the international community,” said Nelson Arboleda of the
    governmental Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Arboleda participated in Havana at a meeting of specialists from the ALBA bloc of nations to coordinate regional cooperation in the fight against Ebola, invited by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

    “We support countries and the Ministries of Health in the Americas to
    ensure they have the skills to enable them to respond to a possible
    introduction of Ebola,” Arboleda told journalists beforehand.

    “We are ready to cooperate with all the actors who are working in the region (Africa),” he said.

    Cuba has taken a lead role by providing 250 doctors and health
    workers to the international fight against Ebola in West Africa, where
    the virus has killed about 5,000 people and has sickened more than
    10,000.

    In October, the Cuban government sent its health workers to Sierra
    Leone, Liberia and Guinea, the three countries most affected by the
    outbreak. Cuba has a long tradition of sending humanitarian medical
    missions to Africa.

    In recent days, there have been many calls for the United States to
    cooperate with Cuba in the fight against Ebola, although both countries
    have no formal diplomatic relations since the early 1960’s. A New York
    Times editorial called on Washington to make available to the Cuban
    medical brigades its equipment and logistical capabilities in Africa.

  • It’s about time to bury the hatchet .Cuba ,you are a world leader when it comes to humanitarian care.

  • Cuba is a humanitrian country. End the embargo and allow free travel and trade.

    c

  • time to end the ridiculous embargo and join the rest of the civlized world in trading with and traveling to cuba. and cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism. the US is the only country in the world which has used the atomic bomb on another nation.

  • The title of this post implies that the US was at some point unwilling to cooperate. Really? When was that? Castro propaganda would have dullards believe that Cuba has been wrestling the US for more support in the fight against Ebola. High-schoolers who read the newspaper know that this is not true. The fight to end the Ebola epidemic, once it has been deemed a success, will likely have many fathers. Should the epidemic spread beyond African shores, God forbid, will Cuban remain as strident in taking credit for the fight?

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