Cuban health authorities announced on Wednesday the start of a vaccination program against yellow fever aimed at "international travelers with a high risk of exposure to the virus."
A statement from the General Directorate of Public Health of Santiago de Cuba released by the newspaper Sierra Maestra indicates that the decision to vaccinate is based on lists from the World Health Organization identifying the countries where the yellow fever virus is active.
Although Cuba has not recorded transmission of this disease since 1904, health authorities "have decided to protect citizens traveling to risk areas," the text notes.
The document also clarifies that, for the time being, Cuban travelers heading to Nicaragua through the airlines WINGO, COPA, and AVIANCA are not required to present the international vaccination certificate for yellow fever.
This measure has been coordinated by the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology and the International Health Control Department of the province, the information emphasizes.
Yellow fever is an acute viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, characterized by fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and in severe cases, jaundice and hemorrhagic complications. The virus is endemic in tropical regions of Africa and the Americas.
The statement from the Cuban regime does not mention that the island has a delicate epidemiological situation with the circulation of several mosquito-borne viruses, such as dengue and Oropouche fever.
In the midst of the health crisis that the island is going through, the Oropouche virus exacerbates the situation, as it is already present in all provinces of Cuba.
Similarly, the cases of imported Oropouche virus in Europe in recent weeks through travelers, mostly from Cuba, are on the rise and at least 19 cases have been detected, according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In the latest information about the behavior of this disease, the ECDC confirmed that the number of imported cases of Oropouche virus disease in Spain has risen to 12 between June and July, all related to travel to Cuba or Brazil, reports the Efe agency.
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