Arbovirus Incidence Continues to Decrease

During the past week, the country has reported a decrease in cases of non-specific febrile syndromes and reports of suspected cases of Dengue and Chikungunya. This update was provided during a new meeting of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, with health experts and scientists.

Doctor Carilda Peña García, Vice Minister of Public Health, highlighted this trend on Monday afternoon. According to the specialist, reports of febrile syndromes have decreased in all provinces. While reports totaled 16,214 in the previous week, the latest figure reached 9,960 cases—a decrease of 6,254. However, there has been an increase in 21 of the country's 168 municipalities.

Suspected Dengue cases fell by 2.83 percent, although six provinces show rates higher than the national average: Guantánamo, Las Tunas, Cienfuegos, Pinar del Río, Santiago de Cuba, and Holguín. Regarding Chikungunya, it was reported that at the close of the last week, 1,880 cases were counted, of which 187 were confirmed and 1,713 were under clinical suspicion. This represents 955 fewer cases than in the same previous period.

The meeting, moderated by the Minister of Public Health, Dr. José Ángel Portal Miranda, also included the customary analysis of mathematical models to interpret the behavior of arboviruses in the national territory. During this analysis, Doctor of Sciences Raúl Guinovart Díaz, Director of Science and Technology at the University of Havana, confirmed the forecast of achieving epidemic control.

Based on mathematical model projections that correlated mosquito breeding sites per 10,000 inhabitants reported in 2025 with the number of cases, the expert emphasized the direct relationship between the number of breeding sites and the state of the Chikungunya epidemic. He recommended giving the highest attention to this in all territories, stating, "If the increase in breeding sites is controlled, the incidence of arboviruses will decrease."

In response to a question from President Díaz-Canel Bermúdez regarding the 2026 anti-vector campaign strategy, Dr. Peña García reported that vector control treatments have already begun, with an emphasis on adulticides, so that new generations of the insect are not carriers of the viruses.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO TREAT POST-CHIKUNGUNYA PATIENTS
The Monday meeting between the President of the Republic and health experts and scientists also featured a presentation on the Evaluation of the effectiveness and implementation protocol of the Stimul-W electrical stimulator for the management of post-Chikungunya chronic arthralgia in the National Health System.

This is a medical device from the scientific institution COMBIOMED, attached to Biocubafarma. It is designed for the prevention and acceleration of the healing of dermal ulcers and has demonstrated its effectiveness as a complementary therapeutic alternative for joint inflammation and as an analgesic component.

Engineer Arlem Lesmes Fernández Sigler, General Director of COMBIOMED, explained that it is a low-frequency, dual-channel electrical stimulator registered for sanitary use in Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Introduced in 1998, the COMBIOMED Stimul-W has been used primarily in secondary and tertiary level institutions for research and treatment of venous ulcers, diabetic foot, in sickle cell patients, in dehiscent wounds, and chronic osteomyelitis, the technologist noted. It is also used successfully in hospitals and institutes for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers and in primary care institutions as part of Biocubafarma's response to address changes in demographic dynamics.

In May 2024, the equipment was introduced in 188 psycho-pedagogical centers and nursing homes; and in August 2025, in 451 polyclinics, in addition to another 400 units delivered to the ENSUME company.

As part of the exchange, Doctor Yamilé Valdés González, a researcher at the Institute of Endocrinology, presented considerations on an effectiveness study for expanding the use of the Stimul-W, specifically in adults with joint symptoms following the acute phase of Chikungunya.

She explained that the primary objective of the study "is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this medical equipment in the treatment of adults with joint symptoms, based on electrical stimulation plus conventional care compared to the standard of conventional care for Chikungunya."

When addressing the comprehensive strategy to implement the expanded use of the Stimul-W in the National Health System, Dr. Valdés González explained that it involves establishing a protocol of action with a standardized procedure for applying the electrical stimulator to alleviate joint symptoms after the acute stage of the disease, primarily inflammation and pain in the shoulder, hand, knee, and ankle.

It also initially envisions a Health Intervention and Data Collection Protocol, with an evaluation of the results of the action protocol, among healthcare workers in the provinces of Havana and Matanzas, taking into account the principle that caregivers must also be cared for.