US embassy issues health alert for Cuba amid oil blockade, sanctions

The US Embassy in Havana has warned of a sharp increase in diarrheal illness across Cuba, linking the outbreak to the island's deteriorating water and energy infrastructure.

The health alert said the breakdown was affecting water supplies, food storage and temperature control. It advised residents and travellers to be cautious with perishable food that may have been stored improperly, particularly items left at room temperature for extended periods.

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The US Embassy has noted a significant increase in diarrheal illness across Cuba, associated with the continuing degradation of the water and energy infrastructure.

The warning came nine months after the Trump administration imposed a fuel blockade on Cuba. The restrictions have contributed to a surge in power cuts and made refrigeration and sanitary measures more difficult in homes and businesses. Blackouts lasting several days have become commonplace, the article said.

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This degradation affects water supply, and food storage and temperature control.

Residents across the island have reported illnesses lasting several days and involving diarrhea, fever and body aches. During the Caribbean summer, the loss of air conditioning or fans can make sleep difficult, while the lack of refrigeration threatens food preservation.

UN-appointed human rights experts have called the fuel blockade a violation of international law. In August, they warned that tightening US sanctions created a growing risk of disease outbreaks and said the humanitarian consequences were already becoming a broader crisis affecting rights to health, life, food and development. The Trump administration says sanctions are needed to pressure Cuba's government and has described the island as a US national security threat.

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