Health authorities in Camagüey have acknowledged a "notable increase" in suspected and probable cases of hepatitis A within the province, with a higher concentration in the main municipality, although they continue to deny the existence of a formal outbreak.
The report, released by Televisión Camagüey, includes a statement from a local health authority: "At this time, there is an increase in our province of Camagüey of suspected and probable cases of hepatitis A virus, primarily distributed with a higher number of cases in our municipality."
Despite this, the same official stated: "At this moment, we do not have an outbreak in the municipality of Camagüey, although there is a notable increase in the disease."
The official stance stands in stark contrast to what citizens and apparent healthcare personnel are reporting on social media, who claim that the situation is far more serious than what the authorities acknowledge.
"Aisolated is not the case, because when you diagnose between 30 to 40 positive cases in a guard duty in one day, that is an outbreak," wrote a user in the post of Televisión Camagüe on Facebook.
Another Cuban was more straightforward: "The pediatric hospital is completely full of hepatitis cases."
An internet user reported numerous cases in the Marquezado neighborhood and pointed out a recurring issue: "The saddest thing is that the reagents for monitoring never show up; they always minimize the problems."
Another user summed up the feelings of many: "If that's isolated, I don't know what an outbreak is. All of Camagüey is infected."
The official report itself indicates that the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) considers an outbreak to be "the presence of two or more cases in the same area," a definition that, according to citizen testimonies, has been far exceeded.
The water context in the province worsens the situation. In April, images from the Camagüey aqueduct showed brown, muddy water coming out of the pipes.
A resident described the liquid as "pure mud" despite having filters in the tanks. Hepatitis A is transmitted specifically through the fecal-oral route, via the consumption of contaminated water or food.
Authorities recommend boiling and chlorinating water, protecting food, isolating patients with exclusive-use utensils, and consulting a doctor at the first signs: fatigue, yellowing of skin and eyes, nausea, abdominal pain, and dark urine.
Camagüey already had documented cases this year: in February, the municipality of Vertientes reported 16 cases among university students from the University of Medical Sciences.
The pattern repeating in Camagüey is the same that has characterized previous outbreaks in other Cuban provinces: authorities that downplay the situation, citizens that report collapse, and a deteriorating water and sanitation infrastructure as a structural cause.
Cienfuegos recorded over 5,000 infected individuals in 2024; Sancti Spíritus exceeded 1,080 cases by the end of that same year; Las Tunas reported an outbreak in October 2025; Santiago de Cuba issued a warning in January 2026; and Matanzas issued a health alert for hepatitis A just weeks ago.
The United States Embassy in Cuba issued its own health alert for hepatitis A in August 2025, advising travelers to take precautions.
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