Cuba battling infectious disease ‘surge,’ Canadian travellers advised to take precautions

Hotel Nacional stands tall near the empty intersection of 23rd Street and the Malecon seawall, amid a lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, June 20, 2020.

Cuba is battling a “surge” of several infectious diseases, the country’s most serious crisis in recent decades, according to an article published earlier this week.

Infections such as chikungunya, dengue, and Oropouche are overwhelming the country’s hospitals and mortuaries, wrote journalist Luke Taylor in a piece published by the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ.

Officials recently reported more than 38,000 suspected cases of the diseases, according to research published Wednesday.

These diseases are mainly spread by different insects, with common symptoms including fever and joint pain, Taylor wrote.

Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Public Health Carilda Peña García confirmed that 12 people have died from dengue and 21 people from chikungunya this year, BMJ reported.

Public health officials have been accused of downplaying the severity of the surge, Taylor suggested. The journalist quoted an expert as saying government records have not been reliable, describing hospitals and funeral homes as “overflowing.”

According to the article, Cuban Minister of Public Health José Ángel Portal Miranda said in October that the circulation of diseases was expected because of the summer heat and wet weather and that “they are neither new, nor are they rare or unknown.”

Brazil, Colombia and Peru have also recorded rises in dengue, chikungunya, and other insect-borne diseases, the article said.

Canadian travel guidance

According to two notices recently updated in November and December, the Canadian federal government advises that travellers going to Cuba should aim to prevent mosquito and midges bites, the insects that transmit chikungunya and Oropouche.

To prevent these bites, travellers could take various preventative measures, including using an approved insect repellent on exposed skin and wearing loose, light-coloured clothing made of tightly woven materials, such as nylon or polyester, hats, socks, closed-toe shoes and long pants and tucked-in, long-sleeved shirts, the guideline says.

It is also advised to stay in places that can keep insects out, including rooms with closed windows and air conditioning, and to use a insecticide-treated mosquito netting in a place that is not fully enclosed.

According to federal recommendations, it is advised to speak with a health-care provider six weeks before the departure date to obtain more information on risks and health advice.

The federal government also notes cases of hepatitis A have also been reported in travellers returning to Canada.