U.S. Embassy in Havana Issues Health Alert over Rising Illnesses in Cuba

EPA

Trash fills a street in Havana in March.

The U.S. Embassy in Havana issued a health alert for Cuba on Friday, warning travellers and residents of a rise in intestinal illnesses and diarrhoea linked to deteriorating water and electricity supplies.

The warning came as the Trump administration continued to restrict fuel shipments needed for power generation on the island.

"The U.S. Embassy has noted a significant increase in diarrheal illness across Cuba, associated with the continuing degradation of the water and energy infrastructure," the alert stated. "This degradation affects water supply, and food storage and temperature ⁠control."

The U.S. warning comes nine months after the Trump administration imposed a fuel blockade on the communist-run island, contributing to a sharp spike in power cuts and complicating refrigeration and sanitary measures in homes and businesses.

UN-appointed human rights experts have called the Trump fuel blockade a violation of international law. A team of UN experts in August warned of a growing risk of disease outbreaks on the island as the U.S. has tightened sanctions.

"The humanitarian consequences are already unfolding into a full-blown crisis, threatening the rights ‌to ⁠health, to life, to food and to development," the experts said.

The Trump administration says sanctions are necessary to force a change in the island's government, a decades-long aim of the U.S. following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Trump has called Cuba a national security threat to the United ⁠States.

Residents throughout Cuba have for months complained of rampant illnesses that cause several days of diarrhea, fever and body aches, leaving many bedridden.

During the Caribbean's sultry summer, sleep without air conditioning or ⁠a fan often becomes impossible, as does food preservation without refrigeration. Blackouts spanning days have become commonplace amid the U.S. fuel blockade.

The U.S. health alert on Friday ⁠advised travelers and residents in Cuba to "be cautious of ... perishable foods that may have been inadequately stored," and warned against eating "foods that appear to have been sitting at room temperature for extended periods."

Source: Reuters



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