Minsap Vice Minister Carilda Pena Garcia explained on national television that of the total, 12 deaths were due to dengue fever (seven of them under 18 years old) and 21 to chikungunya (14 under 18 years old).

Although the febrile syndrome surveillance system shows a general downward trend, the official warned about a group of territories where the trend is upward.

She also explained that the endemic corridor for the fever is in an epidemic zone, except for the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud and Matanzas; the rest of the Cuban provinces are showing signs of approaching an epidemic.

Regarding specific diseases, 5,717 new cases of chikungunya were reported this week, the vast majority based on clinical and epidemiological suspicion.

The cumulative total as of Sunday is 38,938 cases, of which 37,678 are clinically suspected and 1,260 confirmed by PCR testing.

Dengue fever continues to be present in 14 provinces of Cuba, said Pena Garcia.

On the vector control front, an increase in the infestation index was reported, reaching 0.89, with the provinces of Camaguey, Pinar del Rio, Santiago de Cuba, Sancti Spiritus, and Havana showing the highest values.

jdt/jha/abm