The Cuban opponent José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), reported an alarming increase in deaths from chikungunya and other arboviral diseases in Santiago de Cuba and other regions of the country, amid what he described as “the deepest health and humanitarian crisis in the nation's history.”
In a video shared on social media, Ferrer warned that infants just a few months old and elderly individuals are dying from mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and the Oropouche virus, with outbreaks spreading across the country in recent months.
"Cubans of various ages continue to die, especially children and the elderly, due to chikungunya and other arboviruses that are affecting many Cubans... There is a rather critical epidemiological situation in our homeland," declared Ferrer from Miami, where he arrived in exile in mid-October.
The opposition member revealed that a godson of his wife, Doctor Nelva Ismarays Ortega Tamayo, recently died after contracting chikungunya. “He was a baby of just a few months. We took care of him, we helped him feed, but the lack of medications and medical attention made it impossible,” he lamented.
The Ministry of Public Health has acknowledged the increase in cases of arbovirus infections, but has not provided precise figures on infections or fatalities. Consulting specialists warn that the healthcare system is overwhelmed: there is a shortage of laboratory reagents, insecticides, essential medications, and adequate medical personnel.
Ferrer also denounced the precariousness of funeral services, which exacerbates the suffering of families. “When someone in the family passes away, everything is complicated. There are no hearses. They have to rent private vehicles to take the deceased to the cemetery,” he recounted.
The video shared by the opposition member contains images confirming that in Santiago, dozens of funeral vehicles remain inoperative due to a lack of parts or fuel. Countless complaints from Cubans confirm that funeral services in other provinces of the country are experiencing the same situation.
The images accompanying Ferrer's complaint also showed moving scenes: a group of Cubans carrying a coffin by hand in the midst of a humble home, and then transferring it to a private vehicle, in the absence of available hearse services.
The precariousness of resources and the reliance on improvisation highlight the collapse of funeral services in Cuba, where families must independently manage even the final farewell to their loved ones.
The opponent directly blamed the regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel and the "socialist state enterprise" for the deterioration of basic services. "Everything is working very poorly, very poorly. That is the management of tyranny, a great failure," he stated.
Ferrer's words contribute to numerous citizen complaints about the lethal combination of epidemics, malnutrition, and lack of resources, which is taking the lives of the most vulnerable, while the State maintains a triumphant discourse that contrasts with the reality faced by millions of Cubans.
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