Viruses spread in Havana amid water and power outages — TimesLIVE
In Havana, Cuba’s capital, disruptions to water and electricity supplies are worsening the sanitary situation. Residents of some districts can go without running water for days or weeks, while a local clinic is also operating amid a shortage of it.
As TimesLIVE reports, citing Reuters, Cuban health authorities have in recent days warned about the spread of viruses, including a strain of viral hepatitis. A U.S. medical alert for travelers and residents of Cuba also warned of a significant increase in diarrhea cases across the country, linked to the further deterioration of water and energy infrastructure.
Water appears only briefly
Yuamilka Echavarria, a resident of Old Havana and a healthcare worker, said that water appeared in her home for the first time in two months. According to her, due to the water shortage, she had to buy it from street vendors or collect it near damaged pipes.
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Diarrhea has spread in the two-story building where 30 families live, while Echavarria herself recently recovered from a fever and diarrhea. Her refrigerator broke down because of a power surge, so she cannot store food. At least once a week, her husband takes a cart with two barrels to a pipe near the local school. Water flows there only when there is electricity and the pump is working.
Outages complicate the work of medical staff
According to Cuba’s National Institute of Water Resources, nearly 90% of water supply systems depend on electric pumps. Since the United States imposed a fuel blockade in January, power outages in Havana have regularly lasted more than 24 hours, complicating infrastructure operations and food storage.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that around 3.5 million people — slightly less than half of the island’s population — are affected by water shortages. Nurse Maria Elena Parlado, who works at a local clinic, said the facility also goes without water, so staff are not always able to wash their hands between patient appointments.
