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The 64th National Baseball Series once again faced interruptions this weekend due to an outbreak of viral illnesses that has affected several players, including all three catchers of the Granma team, as confirmed by official sources and independent journalists.
The sports announcer from Mayabeque, Wilber Pastrana, posted a message on social media on Saturday where he announced the suspension of the scheduled games for the weekend at the Nelson Fernández stadium.
"Breaking news! There will be no games today (Saturday) or tomorrow (Sunday) at the Nelson Fernández stadium. Several athletes from Granma are ill. Among them, the three catchers of the team... The health of the athletes will always come first," wrote Pastrana, without specifying the type of illness affecting the players.
The suspensions, according to the media Cubanet and other reports, are linked to the epidemiological crisis the country is experiencing, where viruses such as dengue, zika, and chikungunya are circulating simultaneously, resulting in outbreaks in various provinces and sectors.
Ailing country: baseball, a victim of the healthcare collapse
Journalist Mario Pentón, based in Miami, confirmed that an outbreak of arbovirus —a term that encompasses diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito— has affected several players, forcing the suspension of games.
“The 64th National Series is facing new suspensions due to an outbreak of arbovirosis that has sickened several players, including all three catchers of the Granma team,” wrote Pentón on his social media.
The health situation is not limited to baseball. The National Ballet of Cuba has also canceled its weekend performances, following reported infections among its members.
The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) acknowledged the magnitude of the problem: more than 20,000 cases of chikungunya have been officially recorded. Deputy Minister Carilda Peña García reported on Canal Caribe that the provinces most affected are Havana, Matanzas, Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Artemisa, and Villa Clara, and that 62% of the mosquito breeding sites are concentrated in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, and Villa Clara.
Failed fumigations and corruption in the healthcare system
MINSAP announced intensive fumigation and fever detection operations with Medical Sciences students, as well as clinical trials with the medication Jusvinza in Matanzas, aimed at alleviating the aftermath of chikungunya.
However, the official discourse contrasts sharply with the reality faced by Cubans. In neighborhoods of Santiago de Cuba, Havana, and Villa Clara, residents report irregular fumigations, informal payments to fumigators, and a lack of basic medications.
The deterioration of the Cuban healthcare system, the lack of essential medicines, and corruption in public services have transformed what used to be manageable outbreaks into recurring crises, now impacting even the national sport, a symbol of pride and propaganda for decades.
A reflection of the collapse
The suspension of games in the National Baseball Series is not just a sports anecdote: it is a reflection of a sick country, where public health issues have permeated every sphere, from art to sports.
Pastrana's statement — "the health of athletes will always come first" — sounds more like a wish than a reality in a Cuba that, without resources or infrastructure, is facing a new epidemic with empty hands and exhausted credibility.
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