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Matanzas reported this Friday the first two cases of dengue for the 2026 season, located in the southern part of the territory, according to the main health authorities of the province in a weekly epidemiological update.
The emergence of dengue was anticipated with the arrival of heat and rain, conditions that promote the proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
The authorities warned that, in addition to the two confirmed cases, there is "a considerable number of suspects, whose monitoring is being handled with special attention."
In parallel, six municipalities —Matanzas, Cárdenas, Jovellanos, Pedro Betancourt, Ciénaga de Zapata, and Jagüey Grande— remain on alert for hepatitis, although authorities report "a steady decline" in cases.
An additional complication in monitoring the hepatitis outbreak is that in some cases, through on-site investigations, a misdiagnosis has been confirmed: the symptoms were confused with those of stomach illnesses caused by enteroviruses, described as "episodes of diarrhea and vomiting that cease within 24 hours, accompanied by a slight fever reaching 38 or 39 degrees Celsius."
To clarify diagnostic doubts, the authorities sent samples to the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute.
The hepatitis A outbreak in Matanzas has been marked by months of tension. On June 4, the province reported seven new positive cases and 49 suspected cases in just one week, with the capital municipality accounting for about 40% of the provincial annual total.
In April, a health alert was declared with 18 active cases in the Versalles neighborhood and seven in La Marina, in Cárdenas. In May, the Deputy Minister of Public Health, Julio Guerra, denied that Cuba was experiencing an epidemic of hepatitis A, although he acknowledged a "very complex" situation.
The regional context exacerbates the concern. Matanzas was one of the most serious hotspots in the country during 2025 when the government deployed doctors and nurses to the province in response to the rise in cases of dengue, chikungunya, and oropouche.
Cuba ended that year with at least 81,909 infected individuals and 65 deaths due to combined dengue and chikungunya, according to the Pan American Health Organization, and officially recognized the epidemic on November 12, 2025.
In terms of maternal and child care, the infant mortality rate in Matanzas stands at seven per thousand live births, showing a downward trend. Additionally, a miscellaneous room has been opened at the Eliseo Noel Caamaño Provincial Pediatric Hospital to care for more than 50 infants under one year old.
Regarding mobile emergencies, intermunicipal transfers decreased by 52 patients compared to the previous month, and the response time of ambulances was reduced to 18 minutes, the best result nationwide.
However, authorities warned that "the situation remains critical" due to the fuel shortage, and they emphasized the need to create reserves managed by each territory instead of relying on the provincial distribution system.
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