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The Hotel Puerto Príncipe, located on the bustling Avenida de los Mártires in Camagüey, has closed its doors not for repairs, but due to a bedbug infestation that, according to neighborhood reports, has already spread within a two-block radius of the facility.
On the social network Facebook, journalist José Luis Tan Estrada reported that residents of the area are facing a desperate situation: between power outages and bedbug bites, they claim they can barely rest day or night.
The case is a new example of urban decay and the precarious hygienic conditions affecting the city, where structural problems are now compounded by infestations that jeopardize the health and quality of life of its residents.
They are reporting an infestation of bedbugs at the psychiatric hospital in Santiago de Cuba
Last July, a serious accusation was made regarding the conditions of the Gustavo Machín Psychiatric Hospital, known as “Jagüa”, in Santiago de Cuba, following the release of a video showing an elderly patient, very thin and immobile, covered in insects crawling over his body, clothes, and bed.
The images, shared on Facebook by journalist Mario J. Pentón, reflect the neglect and lack of hygiene in this mental health facility. Although laughter from some caregivers can be heard in the video, there is also concern about the man's condition, as they wonder if he has had breakfast already.
It is not the first time that this infestation has been publicly reported. Since April, the spread of bedbug outbreaks in Artemisa and other provinces has ceased to be an isolated incident and has turned into a persistent phenomenon in homes, state and private institutions, warehouses, means of transportation, and public spaces; however, health authorities do not consider the situation a priority.
Numerous centers were forced to close, suspend activities, repeatedly fumigate, and even eliminate furniture infested by insects. Quite a few residential buildings have experienced resurgences, even after treatments were applied, acknowledged the local newspaper El Artemiseño.
In July 2024, CiberCuba published a report warning about the proliferation of bedbugs in the same hospital. According to the report, patients and staff had been suffering the consequences of a persistent infestation for five months that had not been eradicated, despite the efforts of the facility.
The complaint included photographs that evidenced the serious epidemiological issue, shared by journalist Yosmany Mayeta.
Mayeta stated that although this type of situation was not new, it could not be allowed for hygiene issues in Cuban hospitals to become the norm.
Additionally, the reporter urged the Provincial Health Directorate of Santiago de Cuba to finally eradicate these issues once and for all.
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