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The Cuban doctor Lázaro Elieser Leyva García, a specialist in Internal Medicine with academic training in Spain, raised the alarm about the increase in fulminant pneumonia cases and undiagnosed deaths in Cuba, and called for international health aid to address the situation.
In a post on his Facebook profile, Leyva stated that his comments are “merely a personal reflection from my medical perspective” and emphasized that “I am not claiming that this is the explanation,” but rather a possibility that needs to be responsibly examined amidst the diagnostic uncertainty facing the country.
The doctor, known on social media as Lázaro E. Libre and a collaborator with CiberCuba, explained that in recent weeks there has been a rise in rapidly progressing pneumonia cases, with severe instances observed among children and young people, and an increase in deaths without a definitive diagnosis.
In his view, these cases do not solely align with an arboviral infection, which is why he believes it is necessary to broaden the clinical and epidemiological hypotheses.
In his reflection, the specialist raised a question that many citizens share: if Cuba vaccinated en masse against COVID-19, how is it possible that these symptoms could be associated with the virus again?
His response, from a scientific standpoint, is that vaccination does not guarantee permanent or sustained immunity against new variants, said the specialist, who has consistently expressed great concern for his fellow countrymen on social media.
Leyva recalled that the Cuban vaccines Abdala and Soberana helped reduce complications at the time, but they were never evaluated by the World Health Organization or verified by external agencies to measure the actual duration of their protection.
Nor was there any study conducted against later variants, nor was their long-term effectiveness documented.
The doctor insisted that, without diagnostic tests or variant sequencing, healthcare professionals are confronted with atypical cases without the appropriate tools.
“Medicine is based on data, and when data is lacking, all reasonable hypotheses must be considered,” he wrote.
In his message, Leyva firmly asserted that Cuba needs international health, diagnostic, and epidemiological assistance, and that the government must request and allow it.
"We are not in times of pride; we are in times of protecting lives," the doctor expressed in a message that raises concerns for the population.
The specialist concluded his reflection with a call to spread his message: “If we cannot raise our voice through official channels, we will raise it through these means. Let the world hear what Cuba cannot say out loud. For our families, for our children, for our people.”
Concerns about the collapse of the Cuban healthcare system have been shared by various medical and social voices in recent weeks.
Father Alberto Reyes, from Camagüey, accused the regime of worsening the crisis by denying reality and failing to take responsibility for the decline in medical care and access to medicines.
In the same vein, another Cuban doctor warned that the country needs an immediate health intervention, emphasizing that professionals lack essential supplies and basic diagnostics to save lives.
The situation is so critical that, according to their testimony, they are dealing with clinical cases without even knowing for sure what they are treating.
From exile, Cuban doctors have also demanded urgent responses from the regime in light of the increase in respiratory illnesses and unexplained deaths, calling for the entry of humanitarian aid, scientific cooperation, and unrestricted access to verified medical information.
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