The province of Sancti Spíritus concluded the second week of October with 236 pregnant individuals under the age of 18, resulting in an adolescent pregnancy rate of 15.8%, according to statistics from the Maternal and Child Care Program (PAMI) published this Sunday by the official newspaper Escambray.
The figures represent a 3.5% increase compared to the same period in the previous calendar year, according to Vilma Torres Valdivia, an advisor from the PAMI department in the provincial Health directorate, speaking to the Cuba News Agency.
The municipalities of Taguasco, Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, La Sierpe, and Jatibonico exhibit the highest incidence, while the latter two exceed the provincial average, emphasized Escambray.
"It is not just a statistical indicator. Behind every case, there is a girl who faces physical, emotional, and social changes for which she is often not yet prepared," the media outlet warned.
She recalled that early motherhood interrupts education, limits personal projects, and raises health risks for both the mother and the baby, in addition to creating economic dependency and family vulnerability.
Among the factors that perpetuate the problem, the source pointed to the lack of adequate information, limited communication at home, and the scarcity of contraceptive methods, which the text itself describes as "very scarce today."
The shortage of condoms exacerbates teenage pregnancy in the country since at least 2020, which has made protection a privilege dependent on the informal market or the economic capacity of each family.
The phenomenon is not exclusive to Sancti Spíritus. Nationwide, the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) acknowledged that 18.2% of the pregnancies recorded in Cuba during 2025 were among adolescents. The Deputy Minister Julio Guerra Izquierdo admitted that the reduction between 2024 and 2025 was only one percentage point.
In Las Tunas, teenage pregnancy skyrocketed to 19% in the first half of 2026, three points higher than the previous period, despite official campaigns.
Data from the Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas reveals that 64.5% of teenage pregnancies in Cuba involve adult men.
Grisell Rodríguez, representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Cuba, describes this pattern as "an expression of gender-based violence" and points out that 99% of these pregnancies are unintended.
The Minsap published in May the , which mandates the notification of every pregnancy in individuals under 18 and guarantees access to at least three contraceptive methods. However, data from the second semester in Sancti Spíritus and other provinces show that the measure has not reversed the trend.
Escambray insisted that prevention campaigns must move away from general messages and reach neighborhoods, educational centers, and homes, while also calling for prioritized attention for the municipalities in the worst situation.
"The teenage pregnancy rate in the province is a warning sign due to what it means for society, the young girls, and those around them," she emphasized.
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