Cuba ended the previous week with a national spike in fever: the surveillance system recorded more than 13,000 non-specific fever cases in just seven days (13,071), an indicator of active circulation of arbovirus and with the endemic corridor for fever at an epidemic level.
According to reported, Deputy Minister of Health Carilda Peña García stated in the weekly television update that there is a rise in cases of fever across all territories, with the exception of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Las Tunas, Holguín, and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.
Dengue cases are on the rise. The national rate has increased to 24.3 per 100,000 inhabitants. The five provinces with the most complex situation are Guantánamo, Matanzas, Ciego de Ávila, Havana, and Cienfuegos; following them are Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, and Camagüey.
About Chikungunya, it was warned that it remains present in almost the entire country, except for Las Tunas, Mayabeque, and the Isle of Youth, where there is no strong evidence of transmission.
The increase in viral circulation resulted in more severe cases: 16 additional patients were treated in intensive care units compared to the previous week; during the week, 7 were in critical condition and it ended with one in that condition.
The health authority warned that the risk of severe disease increases in individuals who are reinfected with a different serotype; currently, dengue 4 is predominant, following several years of predominance of serotype 3.
To control diseases, adulticides are being used in the most affected territories with the goal of covering the entire human population within 15–20 days, depending on availability.
Around 12 high-productivity trucks ("the ones that emit smoke on the street") are used, and the supply for water storage has been reinforced. The actions depend on fuel allocations and new equipment.
Provincial and municipal temporary groups were activated to coordinate sanitation, vector control, and intersectoral support.
Public Health requested the regulation of the environment and to keep schools, workplaces, and homes free of breeding grounds.
Closures like those during COVID-19 are not being considered, as the transmission is not person-to-person but rather through the Aedes mosquito; the priority is to eliminate larvae and reduce the vector.
The official requested to monitor the behavior of the fever in regions with the highest rates, the saturation of services due to severe cases, and critical cases, as well as the effect of fumigation and larvicide cycles on vector indices.
The country is entering a state of epidemiological alert due to arboviruses, with over 13,000 cases of fever reported in one week, an increase in dengue, and serotype 4 being predominant.
Authorities are conducting intensive fumigation and larval control while urging to reinforce environmental hygiene to halt transmission.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Cuba, Manuel Marrero Cruz, assures that the country "can" control the health crisis caused by dengue, amidst one of the worst epidemiological situations in recent years, with active transmission of the virus in several provinces and hospitals on the brink of collapse.
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