An outbreak of food poisoning reported on Friday in the municipality of Pedro Betancourt, province of Matanzas, affected 29 people—22 of whom were minors—according to a news release from the Provincial Directorate of Public Health shared this Saturday by the state channel TV Yumurí.
The origin of the outbreak is linked to the consumption of prepared foods from a local establishment in the "Cesáreo Sánchez" health area of that municipality.
Of the 29 affected, 11 patients —three adults and eight children— were transferred to higher-level specialized care centers. The remaining 18 are under observation and medical monitoring.
The predominant symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. Health authorities specified that "no severe or critical cases have been reported."
From the first report, the province's Medical Emergency System was activated immediately. A multidisciplinary team is working on the ground to determine the exact causes of the outbreak through epidemiological investigations, while monitoring all individuals who may have been exposed, the statement claims.
The authorities assured the availability of "all necessary medical resources, supplies, and hydration schemes for the complete recovery of those affected" and urged the population to take extra precautions with hygiene in the preparation and consumption of food, and to seek health care immediately if experiencing similar symptoms.
The episode occurs in a context of sustained health deterioration in Matanzas. In May of this year, the province confirmed an outbreak of hepatitis A with 18 active cases in the Versalles neighborhood of the provincial capital, leading to the closure of establishments in the Plácido area.
Between August and early September, a provincial inspection offensive detected 1,818 violations and closed 46 establishments across the 13 municipalities of the province due to commercial irregularities.
On a national scale, cases of food poisoning have multiplied during 2026. By the end of August, Santiago de Cuba recorded the most serious case of the recent period: 52 affected individuals, including pregnant women and minors, with symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Just on September 9th, five minors were treated urgently at the Sur Children's Hospital in that same city for a similar condition.
On September 4, the United States Embassy in Cuba issued a health alert warning about the increase in digestive diseases and recommending caution with perishable foods —meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy products— that may have been stored under poor conditions due to the prolonged blackouts affecting the cold chain throughout the island.
Matanzas is among the Cuban provinces with critical levels of food insecurity according to a report from April of this year, which exacerbates the risk of new episodes like those recorded in Pedro Betancourt.
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