These days, Cuba is experiencing an unprecedented state of emergency after it was ravaged by a mysterious epidemic that residents called the “Big Virus.” The disease causes widespread panic among citizens who see it as akin to collective punishment, as it has spread with remarkable speed in a country already under pressure from shortages of medicine, food, and energy. As infections increase, Cuban hospitals stand on the brink of collapse, while people search for treatment at home with herbs or on the black market.
According to a report published by the Spanish website El País, the so-called big virus is not a single virus, but rather a combination of dengue fever, chikungunya fever, and Orovirus, which are mosquito-borne diseases that usually spread in tropical environments. Official data indicate that the number of confirmed cases of chikungunya fever alone has exceeded 38,000 cases, while the authorities have recorded at least 55 deaths, including 21 children, amid speculation that the real numbers are much higher.
Terrifying symptoms and endless complications
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Symptoms begin suddenly: high fever exceeding 39 degrees, excruciating joint pain, skin rash, vomiting and diarrhea, followed by a phase of severe stiffness and difficulty moving. Doctors describe the condition as a “temporary paralysis” of certain muscles, and those who recover suffer effects that last for months, including chronic fatigue, loss of balance and poor memory.
Cuban journalist Yermara Torres Hernandez wrote on social media: “Matanzas has become a ghost town. People walk hunched over as if coming out of a battle. Every step hurts.”
Reasons behind the outbreak
Epidemiologists attribute the main reason to the increase in mosquito numbers as a result of heavy rains and the accumulation of garbage in the streets due to power outages and a lack of fuel needed for spraying operations. The prevalence of mosquitoes, according to data from the National Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, was about 0.89% of residential areas, a high percentage that means that the vector is present in almost every neighborhood.
High temperatures and humidity also created an ideal environment for insects to multiply, at a time when the state’s ability to provide pesticides or maintain drainage networks declined. Dr. Gianella Cruz Avila, Director of the Regional Hygiene Center in Holguin, pointed out that the biggest flaw is in prevention, stressing that “eliminating adult mosquitoes is not enough, but the eggs, larvae and pupae must be destroyed as well.”
Possible treatment
There is no specific treatment for the major virus yet, and treatment depends on alleviating symptoms. Doctors recommend complete rest, drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and taking simple antipyretics such as paracetamol.
As for strong anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, it is recommended to avoid them because they may increase the risk of bleeding in cases of dengue fever.
Nutrition…a factor that increases the crisis
Experts at the Pedro Curie Institute of Infectious Diseases confirm that poor nutrition has made the disease more deadly. Fever and infections consume the body’s iron and protein stores, while most Cubans live on rice and a little ground meat. Medical bulletins recommend eating eggs, yogurt, fish, nuts and leafy vegetables to compensate for the deficiency, but these foods are almost absent from stores.
The medication and diagnosis crisis
Cuban hospitals are operating with very limited tools. Laboratory tests are not available to determine the type of virus, so the diagnosis is usually recorded under “unspecified fever.” A source from the Institute of Hematology and Immunology in Havana reported that many samples are discarded due to the lack of reagents needed for analysis, which leads to false negative results.
As for treatment, it is often limited to mild analgesics and dehydration solutions. “We send patients home and just tell them to rest, because there is simply no medicine,” says a nurse in Matanzas. As a result of the severe shortage of medicines, families are turning to traditional medicine. Mrs. Mercedes Interian, 57 years old, says that she treats herself with a mixture of oregano, garlic and boiled cloves twice a day, adding: “We are without protection. All we have is hope that the storm will pass.”
Health system
Data from local organizations indicate that about 70,000 health workers left their jobs during the last three years, including more than 30,000 doctors. Hospitals are overcrowded, and sometimes entire clinics are closed due to the medical staff themselves being infected with the virus. The Ministry of Health admits that the shortage of medicine exceeds 70% of the needs, which has made the black market the only source of medicine.
Testimonials
“It started with knee pain, and then in just two days I couldn’t stand,” says Hansel, a 31-year-old engineer from Havana. “I felt like my body had turned to stone.” As for Silvia, from Pinar del Río province, she said that her mother suddenly collapsed due to a fever, and they had to stay at home without being diagnosed because the nearby hospital had no medicine. “We know we are sick, but no one knows what,” she says. In another district of the capital, similar cases have appeared in children and the elderly. A woman named Maidelis Solano recounts: “Every house has a sick person. We wake up in the morning and exchange the same sentences: It hurts here, I didn’t sleep well, I can’t get up.”
Despite the doubling of the number of patients and deaths, the Cuban government insists that the situation is “under control.” “These are seasonal diseases that are familiar in our climate,” Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda stated, refusing to describe them as an epidemic. But photos from Havana and Matanzas show crowded hospitals and morgues working day and night, making it difficult to believe the official story. For its part, the Pan American Health Organization indicated that the spread of arthropod-borne viruses in Cuba is “the largest in two decades,” warning that any delay in the fight against mosquitoes will lead to the expansion of the disease throughout the entire Caribbean region.
