A food poisoning outbreak reported on Friday in the municipality of Pedro Betancourt, Matanzas province, affected 29 individuals —22 of whom are minors— according to a news release from the Provincial Director of Public Health circulated this Saturday by the state channel TV Yumurí.
The outbreak's origin is linked to the consumption of food prepared at a local establishment belonging to 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 facilities. The remaining 18 are under observation and receiving medical follow-up.
The predominant symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. Health authorities specified that "no severe or critical cases have been reported."
From the first report, the Provincial Emergency Medical 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 affirmed.
The authorities assured the availability of "all necessary medical resources, supplies, and hydration protocols for the complete recovery of those affected" and called on the population to take extra hygiene measures when preparing and consuming food, and to seek medical attention 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, outbreaks 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. Days later, five minors were treated urgently at the Southern Children's Hospital in the same city with a similar condition.
Recently, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba issued a health alert warning about the rise in digestive illnesses and recommending caution with perishable foods —meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy— that may have been stored under poor conditions due to the prolonged power outages affecting the cold chain across the island.
Matanzas is among the Cuban provinces with critical levels of food insecurity, according to a report from April of this year, which increases the risk of new episodes like the one recorded in Pedro Betancourt.
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