In response to a significant rise in cases of dengue, chikungunya, and Oropouche, the authorities in Villa Clara have activated temporary response teams across all 13 municipalities. This decision was made during a provincial meeting headed by Governor Milaxy Yanet Sánchez Armas, where a comprehensive action plan was established. As reported by provincial broadcaster CMHW, the measures include targeted fumigation in affected areas, mobilization of personnel from various sectors, and access to homes that have not been self-inspected for mosquito breeding sites.
Dr. Neil Reyes Miranda, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, emphasized the critical role of public participation and collaboration between state and non-state sectors in curbing the virus spread. To date, 14 severe cases have been documented, fortunately without any fatalities.
This weekend will see hygiene campaigns supported by the agricultural sector, which will provide fumigation equipment. Nonetheless, these new efforts occur amid ongoing health campaigns that have yet to eradicate the persistent Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding grounds across the nation.
Dr. Francisco Durán García reported no deaths linked to recent viral events and dismissed rumors of "11 deaths in one night" in Matanzas. During his weekly update on the epidemiological landscape, Durán noted that despite high demand for health services, facilities in Matanzas have not been overwhelmed. He confirmed the presence of three arboviruses: sustained dengue, expanding chikungunya initially detected in Matanzas, and declining Oropouche.
Meanwhile, Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda reinforced this stance in a meeting with Communist Party authorities in Matanzas, stating, "There are no deaths in Matanzas due to this disease. There are no severe or critical cases. No one can hide an epidemic or deaths."
However, these official statements have sparked criticism among citizens, who dispute the absence of disease-related fatalities. Experts have highlighted a crisis of "combined arboviruses" that the Cuban regime fails to officially acknowledge, thereby hampering the healthcare system's capacity to handle simultaneous outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases.
Cuban historian and activist Alina Bárbara López Hernández accused national and provincial authorities of distorting information about the epidemic affecting Matanzas. According to López, there is a direct mandate to deny deaths from arboviruses. "The directive to deny deaths from arboviruses has been issued, as asserted by Dr. Durán, the Health Minister, and Matanzas authorities."
Matanzas journalist Yirmara Torres Hernández, former president of the Union of Cuban Journalists (UPEC) in Matanzas, broke her silence, recounting the death of a neighbor from chikungunya and lamenting, "We live in constant stress, poorly nourished, immunocompromised... The nights belong to mosquitoes, rats, cockroaches... What vector control can there be?"
In Havana, the Salvador Allende Clinical-Surgical Hospital, commonly known as La Covadonga, may partially close its regular services due to the rising cases of dengue and chikungunya. Internal sources confirmed to CiberCuba that a provincial committee visited the hospital on October 7 to assess converting several wards into admission units for arbovirus-infected patients, amidst a worsening epidemiological scenario in the Cuban capital.
In Ciego de Ávila, the Provincial Directorate of Community Services has intensified sanitation efforts in municipalities with high solid waste production as part of actions to eliminate Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding sites, the primary vector for dengue, chikungunya, and Oropouche viruses.
These intensified sanitation activities come as the province has reported over 5,000 febrile syndrome cases this year, with confirmed circulation of dengue, chikungunya, and Oropouche. Recently, health authorities declared active arbovirus transmission in specific areas of Ciego de Ávila and Morón, responding to the increase in fever cases and mosquito proliferation.