Chikungunya Outbreak Hits Matanzas Hard

The chikungunya virus is aggressively spreading across Matanzas, leaving behind a trail of fever, unbearable pain, and fear in its wake. Initially surfacing in July as an isolated outbreak in the Perico municipality, the situation has escalated to a province-wide concern. Official reports and public complaints highlight a critical state that the healthcare system is struggling to manage.

On Monday, TV Yumurí reported that the municipality of Cárdenas is experiencing a period of "high incidence" with a continuous rise in febrile cases and symptoms consistent with chikungunya. This virus, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, triggers widespread discomfort, high fever, and severe joint pain.

Although there have been no reported deaths, the virus's impact on quality of life is severe, forcing entire families to become caregivers as hospitals brace for an influx of patients. A report by the newspaper Girón, titled "The Thing That's Going Around," illustrates how the illness has disrupted daily life: it confines individuals to bed, saps their strength, and leaves lingering effects even after the fever subsides.

Parents and elderly individuals are bearing multiple responsibilities within households as the virus significantly disrupts the everyday lives of those affected. The problem in Matanzas is far from isolated, tied to issues such as uncollected garbage, insufficient sanitation, and persistent power outages, all of which create ideal conditions for mosquito proliferation. "The Aedes aegypti has us on high alert," Girón noted, also acknowledging the concurrent presence of dengue and oropouche viruses.

Urgent Call for Health Emergency

The local media's reports align with activist Amelia Calzadilla's call on social media, questioning why Cuba's Presidency has not declared a health emergency in Matanzas. "Children, the elderly, workers, and students are bedridden with severe bone and muscle pain, weakness, and high fever. What virus is this? How can it be prevented? How is it treated?" she wrote, highlighting the lack of clear information and access to medication for the public. Calzadilla even urged for humanitarian aid: "It's people's lives at stake, stop playing gods."

Data indicates the situation has been deteriorating for months. In July, the Pedro Kourí Institute (IPK) confirmed the presence of chikungunya in Perico. By August, epidemiologist Francisco Durán acknowledged ongoing transmission and severe joint pain symptoms affecting patients over extended periods.

Reports from Santa Marta, near Varadero, revealed overflowing trash near a daycare and clinic, with residents indicating that "over 70% of the neighborhood" was suffering from fever, vomiting, and weakness without medicines to ease the symptoms. By mid-September, Durán admitted that eight patients were already in intensive care for dengue nationwide as mosquito infestation reached record levels.

The Struggle Between Resignation and Denunciation

In Matanzas, daily life has turned into a battle against fever and resource scarcity. Patients crowd homes and hospitals, while power outages and piled-up trash make mosquito control impossible. "When one falls ill, many around them quickly follow," a resident of Santa Marta shared.

While chikungunya is rarely fatal, it causes lasting effects and poses a severe threat in a context where medications, insecticides, and healthcare are lacking. The lethal combination of shortages, official indifference, and a lack of information has turned Matanzas into the epicenter of a health crisis that the government tries to downplay, yet it overwhelms Cuban households.