The Cuban state propaganda machine wants you to believe the lie that Cuba has the best health care in the world. The truth is that in Cuba that lie is more important than the health of Cuban citizens. Take the recent dengue fever cover-up:
The outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus here was the worst in a quarter of a century and appears to have afflicted thousands during its peak in September and October. The infection rate has slowed to only a few dozen new cases this month, said a senior doctor familiar with the scope of the epidemic, who added that the response was initially slowed by government secrecy.
The physician complained bitterly about the veil initially imposed by Communist Party officials. The ostensible purpose was to avoid panicking the public, but the demand that the epidemic be treated as a confidential security matter was strongest in early September, when preparations were underway for the 14th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, to be held in Havana. That gathering of Third World leaders brought 3,000 foreign visitors from more than 100 countries to the capital Sept. 11-16, including about 50 heads of state and government.
The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity because of the possibility of dismissal from his job or arrest for discussing the matter with a reporter.
"We were forbidden even to refer to it as dengue fever, because the official position is that dengue was eradicated in the 1980s," said the doctor, who has nearly three decades of experience in Havana hospitals. "We were compelled to call it 'fever syndrome.' "
Cuba's Public Health Ministry later confirmed the outbreak, telling the Pan American Health Organization representative in Havana on Oct. 13 that the country was suffering "a classic dengue outbreak" and that about 10% of the cases involved children.
The ministry gave no count of the afflicted and said that an unspecified number of deaths were "associated with preexisting chronic conditions."
But dengue deaths here and in at least four other provinces have been reported to relatives abroad, providing anecdotal support for the doctor's estimate of 100 deaths nationwide.
A Havana pediatrician, Angel Arturo Aballi, told a Web-based dissident news agency that more than 1,000 children were hospitalized with dengue fever in mid-September, when new admissions were coming at the rate of 50 a day.
Read the LA Times story here.
sounds like when china covered up the sars scare. also reminds me of the case years ago when there were reports of mass blindings as result of malnutrician and drinking 'chispa de tren', in this case made with poiseness wood alcohal instead of grain. the figures i recall were 50,000, permanantly blinded. anyone else recall this?
Posted by: caimano | 18 November 2006 at 07:35 PM