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The Government of Cuba reported two new deaths from chikungunya on the island during January, according to data published this Tuesday by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and cited by the agency EFE.
However, the Cuban authorities have not publicly informed the population about those deaths, nor have they provided official details in national media.
The PAHO, which compiles its reports based on the official figures provided by member states, indicated that between January 1 and January 31, there were 1,457 reported cases of chikungunya in the country.
The update represents one of the few pieces of information available about the epidemiological situation so far in 2026.
The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) ceased to release periodic statistics on the dengue and chikungunya epidemics at the end of 2025, and to date, it has not published detailed reports for the new year.
The two deaths now known had not been previously communicated in official appearances or in informational notes directed to the public.
Official silence and lack of figures on dengue
Cuba is also among the few countries in the region that still do not show updated dengue data for 2026 in the public databases of the PAHO, along with Venezuela, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and several Caribbean islands.
The last time the Cuban government addressed the evolution of these arboviruses was on January 28.
On that occasion, she stated, without providing specific figures, that the number of cases had decreased over the previous three weeks.
During that epidemiological follow-up meeting, the Deputy Minister of Public Health, Carilda Peña, stated that the indicators for dengue and chikungunya were "in the safety zone," although she did not provide statistics to support that claim.
An epidemic recognized months after it began
The authorities officially recognized on November 12, 2025, that the country was experiencing an epidemic of dengue and chikungunya.
However, they never declared a health emergency nor made a formal request for international assistance specifically due to the spread of these diseases.
The first cases of chikungunya were diagnosed in July 2025.
Starting in September and October, the infections of both diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito significantly increased, putting strain on the healthcare system and causing social and economic impacts in various regions.
At the end of October, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa through the eastern part of the country, the government included a request for international cooperation for large quantities of chemical products to control the mosquito vector, amidst material limitations.
The accumulated balance
For all of 2025, the OPS recorded 65 deaths in Cuba due to dengue and chikungunya, more than half of them minors, as well as 81,909 infected individuals.
The two new deaths reported in January confirm that the circulation of the virus remains active in 2026.
Without detailed public reports from health authorities, the information disseminated by regional organizations becomes the primary reference available to understand the current extent of the epidemic on the island.
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