Cuba Bolsters Dengue, Chikungunya Fight Amid Treatment Challenges
Havana, Cuba – November 14, 2025 - Cuban health officials are reinforcing vector control efforts nationwide, particularly targeting municipalities experiencing high transmission rates of arboviruses like Dengue adn Chikungunya. The announcement follows a recent assessment of ongoing fumigation and treatment programs, revealing logistical hurdles hindering full coverage.
Dr. Madelaine Rivera Sánchez, national director of Surveillance and Vector Control of the Ministry of Public Health, acknowledged public concern over fumigation efforts, stating, “We all know that the main concern that our population has today is adulticidal treatment, fumigation.” She explained that reaching all affected areas has been arduous, noting, “It has not been possible to reach all the places, as we have been accustomed to during all the years in which we have had epidemic outbreaks.”
The Ministry is deploying additional equipment to municipalities facing the greatest challenges,specifically to combat Chikungunya transmission. Teams are concentrating efforts at the municipal level, focusing on complex areas with confirmed cases and responding to reports from residents. “We are trying to cover all urban areas where we can reach not only where we have evidence but also where people tell us that there are cases, and thus be able to carry out adulticidal treatments,” Dr. Rivera Sánchez said.
Recent weeks have exposed operational issues, with reports of equipment failures in some provinces. “A problem that we have had at this stage is that precisely in these two weeks of treatment that we have been working on in the month of November, there are some provinces in which it has not gone well as equipment has been left on the floor; and these are one of the issues that we are going to reinforce,” she stated. Officials are prioritizing equipment maintenance and ensuring adequate resources – including insecticides and fuel - are available to maximize effectiveness.
Dr. Rivera Sánchez emphasized the importance of community involvement and intersectoral collaboration. “Intersectorality, the risk perception of all of us, and always supporting so that vector control actions can be carried out are very important.” She highlighted the rapid transmission rate of the diseases due to the mosquito vector, stressing the need for swift action to address the public health concern.
The MinistryS response mirrors strategies employed during the COVID-19 pandemic,according to the cuban Presidency. Further details on the epidemiological situation and the national strategy are available on Mesa Redonda (http://mesaredonda.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2025/11/12/este-miercoles-en-mesa-redonda-situacion-epidemiologica-y-estrategia-para-enfrentarla/).
