Health and political officials in the province of Matanzas acknowledged on Thursday a "complex" epidemiological scenario due to ongoing hepatitis outbreaks in the municipalities of Matanzas and Cárdenas. These issues are directly linked to the water supply crisis and irregularities in solid waste collection.
During a meeting led by the main authorities of the Communist Party and the provincial government, Dr. Andrés Lamas Acevedo, the director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology (CPHEM), provided a mixed overview: while cases of fever are decreasing and respiratory diseases are under control, diarrheal diseases are not currently a concern.
However, hepatitis remains the primary worry. Authorities confirmed an outbreak of 18 active cases in the Versalles neighborhood of Matanzas city, spanning from the pharmacy on Plácido street to the Yumurí River, the Americano district, La Cumbre, and areas near the Ernest Thaelmann school.
In Cárdenas, the municipality reports seven active cases in the La Marina neighborhood, according to the provincial health alert issued in April due to outbreaks in several municipalities.
Underlying Water Crisis Exacerbates Health Issues
The structural backdrop to this outbreak is the severe water crisis plaguing the province. Over 300,000 residents of Matanzas lack a stable water supply, as acknowledged by Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman.
Power outages lasting between 30 and 48 hours—the longest in the country—prevent water pumps from functioning, leading to an increase in informal wells: from 20 to more than 40 between October 2025 and March 2026, many of which are dug near septic tanks. Health authorities had already advised boiling and chlorinating water since March due to the health alert.
Hepatitis A: A Widespread Issue Across Cuba
The outbreak in Matanzas is not an isolated incident. Since 2024, hepatitis A has affected multiple Cuban provinces: Cienfuegos reported over 5,000 infections, Sancti Spíritus accumulated more than 1,080 cases, and recent reports in Camagüey raised alarms with daily positives ranging between 30 and 40.
As preventive measures, CPHEM specialists announced that urban areas will undergo larviciding in May and June, an adulticide treatment will be conducted, and 25 water-based fogging machines will soon be available. Additionally, four new ambulances have been allocated to the province.
Challenges and Calls for Action
Mario Sabines Lorenzo, the first secretary of the Party in Matanzas, emphasized the importance of implementing early measures before the rainy season and high temperatures to prevent mosquito breeding.
At the same time, he acknowledged the structural limitations of the system: stressing the need to "work within the current context marked by fuel shortages, without neglecting patient care and the quality of services."
The meeting also highlighted other deficiencies within the provincial health system: difficulties in transporting healthcare workers to medical centers, the need to improve hospital nutrition, and the urgency of ensuring cleanliness, issues compounded by the ongoing water crisis and power outages that have worsened the health situation over recent months.
Addressing the Hepatitis Outbreak in Matanzas
What factors are contributing to the hepatitis outbreak in Matanzas?
The hepatitis outbreak in Matanzas is largely attributed to the severe water supply crisis and irregularities in solid waste collection, which have created conditions conducive to the spread of the disease.
How are power outages affecting the water crisis in Matanzas?
Power outages lasting up to 48 hours prevent water pumps from operating, leading to a reliance on informal wells, many of which are near septic tanks, worsening the water crisis.
What preventive measures are being taken to address the outbreak?
Preventive measures include larviciding urban areas, conducting adulticide treatments, deploying water-based fogging machines, and allocating new ambulances to the province.