Cuba Battles Surging Dengue, Chikungunya, and Oropouche Cases

For more than two months, Cuba has been grappling with a health crisis unlike any seen before. An epidemic of dengue, chikungunya, and oropouche, with thousands of cases reported weekly, is sweeping the country. This emergency compounds existing challenges related to energy, demographics, food security, and the underlying economic crisis.

“Three people have already died in my neighborhood, including my aunt, all after being infected with one of these viruses,” Alfredo Céspedes, a doctor residing in Havana, told ABC. “All my neighbors have also gotten sick,and I was healthy for up to two days,” he laments,adding that he feels “very bad” and “can barely get out of bed.” Those infected experience high fever, severe pain, muscle inflammation, rashes, and diarrhea.

The Cuban Government, which initially released data sparingly, now reports that more than 30% of the Cuban population has been infected with dengue and/or chikungunya. Francisco Durán García, the national director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health (Minsap), has described the situation as the “main problem” facing the island.

The pan american Health Institution (PAHO) recently highlighted the severity of the situation. According to PAHO data, cuba currently has the highest incidence of chikungunya in the Americas, averaging 700 new cases daily in October. In 2025, Cuba also has the highest incidence rate of oropouche in the Americas, considerably exceeding rates in Panama and Brazil.

This week alone, health authorities registered over 3,100 new suspected cases of chikungunya nationwide, illustrating the critical epidemiological situation on the island.