Right now there are 17 viral diseases that plague the Island
14ymedio, Havana, July 5, 2024 — Cuba has registered more than 35,000 cases of Oropouche this year in 13 provinces of the country. The data appears in a table that the Ministry of Health shared –very discreetly and without expressly mentioning the number– in a broadcast of the State TV Mesa Redonda (Round Table) program dedicated to the epidemiological situation in Cuba.
Carilda Peña, deputy minister of public health, published another table in which she revealed the incidence rate of dengue fever in the country this week: about 20 suspected cases of having contracted the disease per 100,000 inhabitants. With this figure – which also appeared discreetly on the screen – the official intended to celebrate the results of Cuban health in comparison with the regional situation, based on a report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to which Cuba, however, did not send data.
Arleen Rodríguez, the show’s host, did not like the mention of government responsibility in the island’s deplorable state of hygiene and invited Peña to “not touch that key,” while asking her to continue addressing the epidemiological “literacy” of viewers.
The dengue infection curve on the island already exceeds –in week 25 of this year– that of 2022
Peña displayed PAHO graphs showing the regional situation to argue that Cuba, seen in context, was not facing such a serious situation. “We are talking about the fact that this week in the (Pan-American) region, 9,852,482 suspected cases of dengue have been reported. That means an increase of 231%, compared to the same period in 2023,” she insist
