Epidemiological Alert Published in Matanzas, Cuba
daily fumigation in the Varadero tourist resort but not in nearby towns
Residents of Cardenas denounce the accumulation of trash in the city as chikungunya and dengue outbreaks rise.
HAVANA TIMES – An epidemiological alert announced in Cárdenas, Matanzas, has alarmed the population due to the circulation of viruses spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The TV Yumuri page reported on “the high incidence of chikungunya, given the disability it causes in people, while dengue circulates as a secondary variant.”
The publication described the increase in cases as “notable” and added that it has caused commotion among residents of the city, “with symptoms present in all the People’s Councils.” Although they clarified that no deaths from these causes have been reported, nor patients in critical condition, several comments suggest there have indeed been fatalities. One person, commenting under the name Israel Roche, cited his own grandfather and a neighbor as examples.
In Colón, another municipality in Matanzas heavily affected by the epidemiological crisis, Olga’s family has seen “one by one all her relatives fall sick in bed,” says the woman, the only one in her house who has not yet been infected. “It causes a lot of joint pain; when it seems you’re about to recover, it hits you again, and patients with high blood pressure see it spike,” she told this newspaper.
“My mother, who is almost 90 years old, had a very hard time and still has trouble walking,” she explained. “We took her to the clinic, but the doctor who saw her couldn’t do much—she just told her to rest and drink lots of fluids.” In Jagüey Grande, Jovellanos, Los Arabos, Santa Marta, and Las Guásimas are some of the hardest-hit localities in the province.
A taxi driver from Santa Marta who makes a living transporting tourists between nearby Varadero and the provincial capital described the seriousness of the situation. The man pointed to lack of hygiene and scarce mosquito fumigation as the main causes of the current health problems affecting local residents. “They’ve been fumigating Varadero all these days, but neither the planes nor the trucks come out here,” he lamented.
The official page also reported that “several samples have been sent to IPK (Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine) and the results confirm the presence of Covid or other viruses spread by the Aedes.” They added that all health areas have been activated, and conditions are being prepared to increase case intake at the hospital.
At the same time, fumigation campaigns are being announced “even with the shortage of fuel and other necessary supplies for spraying.” Residents of Cardenas have reacted by denouncing the large amounts of garbage piling up on street dumps and the lack of grass cutting in overgrown areas, which are common mosquito breeding grounds.
Municipal Health authorities urged households to take extra precautions and seek medical care at the first sign of symptoms. They also warned that the greatest risk now lies with people suffering from conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and other chronic non-communicable diseases, due to the potential for “severe complications amid the shortage of medicines.”
Yaniel Mesa, a young doctor, commented that Jagüey Grande is facing the same situation as Cardenas: “I think all 13 municipalities [of Matanzas] are the same,” he wrote. Mesa blamed the Government for the unsanitary conditions and the spread of the vector, consequences of uncollected garbage, blackouts, and misery. “My entire family is sick with 39C-degree (102F) fever, headaches, muscle pain, and arthritis in the large joints. On top of that, there’s no dipyrone or acetaminophen for pain or fever,” the doctor added.
Residents of Matanzas recall that the province was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, generating the hashtag #SOSMatanzas, which mobilized Cubans inside and outside the Island. The territory has also been among the most affected by blackouts and water contamination.
The alarm is spreading not only to other municipalities in Matanzas, but also to other provinces. From Holguín, neighbors report cases with similar symptoms to 14ymedio, without frequent checkups being carried out as in previous outbreaks. They also denounce the increase in mosquitoes and midges, as well as illnesses that people have begun to call popularly “covidengue,” since it presents symptoms that combine those of dengue and Covid-19.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.