Havana, Dec. 02 (SANA) The Cuban Ministry of Health reported 33 deaths, including 21 children, due to outbreaks of chikungunya and dengue fever, both mosquito-borne diseases that have been spreading since last July.
Agence France-Presse quoted Cuban Deputy Health Minister Carilda Peña, who said, “Most of the deaths are attributed to the chikungunya virus, which causes symptoms such as fever and joint pain that can be debilitating but are rarely fatal, while dengue fever, with flu-like symptoms, has claimed 12 lives.”
The chikungunya virus first appeared in Matanzas province in western Cuba last July and quickly spread to all 15 provinces of the country, which has a population of about 10 million.
Cuba successfully contained a chikungunya outbreak in 2014, but authorities have declared that the current outbreak has worsened due to “poor hygiene, accumulated waste, and people storing water in tanks to cope with the shortage of clean tap water.”
Both chikungunya and dengue fever are viral diseases transmitted by mosquito bites. While they share similar symptoms—such as fever, headache, and joint and muscle pain—they differ in the severity of complications and the specific virus responsible.
