The presence of the African giant snail in the municipality of Manzanillo, in the province of Granma, has raised alarms among local and provincial authorities, who on Wednesday deployed an interdisciplinary commission to assess the magnitude of the problem and order urgent eradication measures, according to Radio Bayamo.
Lieutenant Colonel Eber Fonseca Linares, head of the Civil Defense in Granma, led the inspection in the Carlos Coello Popular Council, where the invasive mollusk was detected in District 104, in the Caymari neighborhood, specifically in the vegetation of the fourth avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets.
The commission confirmed on-site the presence of this pest, which poses a serious risk to human health and ecosystems.
During the visit, provincial representatives from the Office of Environmental Regulation and Security, the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, Plant Health, CITMA, and the Environmental Subdelegate participated, alongside specialists from Public Health, Education, and the MININT from the municipality of Manzanillo.
Ana Isabel Ramírez Chávez, the vice president of the local Municipal Assembly of People's Power, was also present.
After a thorough analysis of the situation, the commission agreed on the urgency of activating a comprehensive protocol involving all sectors. The proposed measures include trimming the vegetation, collecting specimens with protection, and controlled destruction following established methodology to prevent contagion.
Authorities warned that the process of eradicating the giant African snail requires the active involvement of organizations and the general public.
The giant African land snail (Achatina fulica) is classified among the 100 most harmful invasive alien species in the world by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The main health risk lies in its role as a host for the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which causes eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, a potentially fatal disease that affects the central nervous system.
The species can lay up to 1,800 eggs per year with a viability rate between 85% and 95%, which greatly complicates its control once established in an area.
Since its first detection in Cuba in 2014, the infestation has expanded continuously: by October 2020, it was already affecting 14 provinces with more than 1,000 active hotspots in 59 municipalities.
In 2025, new alerts were issued in Camagüey, where up to 300 specimens were collected in a single day in certain areas, and in Jaruco, Mayabeque, with a higher concentration near a primary school and a polyclinic.
The discovery in Manzanillo represents a new focal point in the eastern region of Cuba, where there have been previous training sessions for the population on handling this invasive species.
The authorities of Granma reported that the eradication process will be periodically checked by the highest municipal and provincial authorities, in a sustained effort to protect public health and the environment in Granma.
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