The pediatric provincial hospital Mártires de Las Tunas encouraged the use of coconut water and homemade oral rehydration solutions to care for children with diarrheal diseases, due to the decrease in the availability of oral rehydration salts in pharmacies and a modest increase in arboviral diseases in the province.
"Due to the decrease in the supply of rehydration salts through pharmacies, home preparation formulas are being promoted through educational talks with families in clinics and at the hospital, in addition to sharing the benefits of coconut water which supports hydration," emphasized Yaneisi Salinas Medina, the center's director, in statements collected this Sunday by the official digital portal Tiempo 21.
Salinas explained that the alternatives are communicated through educational talks with families, both in the clinics and in the hospital itself.
The scarcity of rehydration salts is neither new nor exclusive to Las Tunas. Since November 2025, the government has urged Cubans to make their own salts using boiled water, salt, and sugar, amid a medication crisis that left only 30% of the country's essential medicines available.
The epidemiological context in the province worsens the situation. At the beginning of this month, health authorities confirmed the circulation of serotype 4 of dengue in Las Tunas. In this regard, Dr. Yumara Acosta García, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, emphasized that the context is "much more complex from a clinical standpoint."
The director of the pediatric hospital in Tunero warned that dengue poses a real risk to children, as it is an illness "that can become complicated and even fatal, since it is a condition that, if not diagnosed and treated in time, can endanger the patient's life."
Salinas emphasized that fever is the most noticeable symptom in the early stages of dengue in young children, and that common complications include dehydration and seizures due to high temperatures, urging immediate attention at health institutions.
In light of the energy crisis that hinders proper food preservation, the official advised boiling water, ensuring food is cooked thoroughly, and maintaining strict hygiene when handling fruits and vegetables.
It also warned about incorrect practices that can worsen the clinical condition of infants: never discontinue breastfeeding or give them any kind of herbal infusions.
The pediatric ward in Las Tunas has been facing months of shortages. In August, a private initiative donated natural juices to the hospital due to the lack of baby food for children; Salinas Medina herself acknowledged that the center addresses its needs "with the help of non-state actors and independent producers."
The arbovirus crisis is spreading across the island. Guantánamo remains in Epidemiological Alert aggravated by the proliferation of dumps, Sancti Spíritus has recorded several consecutive weeks of increase, and in June the Deputy Minister of Public Health, Carilda Peña, warned that without sufficient actions, "we could face an epidemic."
Cuba ended 2025 with over 81,900 cases of dengue and chikungunya and at least 65 fatalities, more than 20 of whom were minors, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
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