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The health authorities of Matanzas confirmed on Monday a hepatitis A outbreak in the Versalles neighborhood with 18 active cases, concentrated in the area that extends from the Plácido pharmacy to the Yumurí River, the Americano neighborhood, La Cumbre, and areas near the Ernest Thaelman school.
The doctor Andrés Lamas Acevedo, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, described the situation in Versalles as the most concerning in the province, although he clarified that it is not a large-scale outbreak, in statements to the official newspaper Girón.
Two days earlier, the official had mentioned that active cases persisted in Versalles and described them as "fairly controlled."
In addition to Versailles, the province has reported seven cases in the La Marina neighborhood of the municipality of Cárdenas, as well as isolated cases in most of the municipalities. In contrast, the hotspots in Pálpite and Cidra are close to being closed as no new infections have been reported for about a month.
As a containment measure, the authorities temporarily closed establishments in the Plácido area. "When a group of people concentrated in a specific area, such as Plácido, becomes ill, we have to close establishments, including the guarapera and cafes that serve prepared beverages, like coffee and juice; because there is no evidence that they are safe," explained Dr. Lamas Acevedo.
The specialist clarified that the current transmission is from person to person, not through water, unlike an outbreak that occurred about twenty years ago in Versailles linked to contaminated water. He also warned about the contagion period: "Transmission begins 10 days before symptoms appear and continues for up to 15 days afterward. Therefore, I might have it now, feel fine, and be spreading it."
The authorities insist on boiling or chlorinating the water, although the official himself acknowledged the real limitations of the population: "Not everyone has the means to boil water, whether because they don't have gas or need to use coal."
That reality is framed within a structural water crisis. More than 300,000 residents of Matanzas are facing water supply problems, worsened by blackouts lasting between 30 and 48 hours that hinder the operation of pumps. Between October 2025 and March 2026, informal wells in Matanzas neighborhoods increased from 20 to over 40, many dug near septic tanks, posing a high risk of cross-contamination.
In February 2025, authorities detected fecal contamination from coliforms in the Bello water source, including E. coli, linked to a spill from the Boris Luis Santa Coloma sugar mill, which impacted networks in El Naranjal, Matanzas Este, Oeste, and Versalles.
The outbreak in Matanzas is not an isolated case. The MINSAP confirmed in December 2024 a significant increase in hepatitis A across the country, and in April 2026, Camagüey also raised alarms with citizen reports of 30 to 40 daily positive cases, although the authorities formally denied an outbreak.
Dr. Lamas Acevedo also announced measures for the arboviral season starting in May, including the larviciding of 100% of the urban area and the deployment of 25 fumigation units, in a context where the provincial vector control workforce is operating at 50% of its capacity.
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