The Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC) has labeled the ongoing health crisis in Cuba as a "silent genocide." This conclusion comes after scrutinizing public protests and reports from October.
This non-governmental organization's findings highlight a dire situation, with a mix of state negligence, lack of essential resources, and lack of transparency leading to a nationwide epidemiological collapse. The regime under Miguel Díaz-Canel persists in downplaying the crisis's true scale.
While Cuba's Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) officially confirmed only three deaths linked to viral outbreaks, citizen reports and OCC investigations suggest a much higher death toll.
In a press release, the NGO presented a preliminary victim list—spanning over a dozen identified cases across various provinces—that the government fails to acknowledge.
State Negligence and Public Outcry
The phrase "They are killing us" frequently surfaces on social media, encapsulating the prevailing sense of abandonment among Cubans. According to the OCC, this health emergency does not stem from natural disasters or embargoes but from a state administration characterized by corruption and disregard for human life.
The OCC report also pointed out that despite revelations by the Miami Herald about the military-business conglomerate GAESA's $18 billion holdings in offshore accounts, none of these funds appear to have been allocated for basic public hygiene necessities like garbage trucks or fuel.
Epidemic Consequences and Resource Shortages
This neglect has turned city dumps into breeding grounds for infection. By the rainy season of 2025, there was no malathion, abate, or fuel for fumigation equipment, leading to uncontrolled mosquito proliferation.
Cubans are now grappling with the widespread presence of arboviruses, including dengue (even the hemorrhagic variant), chikungunya, Zika, oropouche, and other infections such as Hepatitis A.
The situation is exacerbated by the scarcity of pain relievers, antipyretics, and diagnostic reagents. In areas like Cárdenas or Perico in Matanzas, nearly the entire population has contracted "the virus," as they call it, due to the inability to identify the specific pathogens.
Healthcare System in Collapse
Hospitals in provinces such as Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Holguín are overwhelmed, including pediatric facilities. In Matanzas, an arbovirus outbreak forced the establishment of an annex hospital to the provincial pediatric facility due to bed shortages.
MINSAP has opted for institutional secrecy, denying deaths from dengue or chikungunya in certain areas, despite contrary testimonies.
During a televised appearance on TV Yumurí, Deputy Minister of Public Health Carilda Peña García acknowledged that "dengue kills," yet failed to confirm any fatalities. Days later, the death of three patients due to dengue in 2025 was confirmed.
Public Denial and Government Accountability
The OCC urges Cubans to submit names, ages, residences, and dates of death for those who have succumbed to viruses exacerbated by governmental negligence.
Reported victims include children, the elderly, and young adults from various provinces, underscoring the human cost already borne by the Cuban people: each death a muted outcry.
The regime's response is a blend of denial and distraction. Officially, they acknowledge active epidemic outbreaks but deny deaths, attributing severe cases to "comorbidities" rather than addressing systemic deficiencies.
For instance, Matanzas health authorities claimed no fatalities from dengue or chikungunya, but citizen complaints and independent medical reports contradict these assertions.
State-affiliated journalist Yirmara Torres Hernández lamented on Facebook: "There are no deaths, because only those who lose loved ones feel the pain... It's the abandonment that hurts. It's the insult to your intelligence. ... No. There are no deaths, but there are."
The Implications of a "Silent Genocide"
Though the term might seem extreme, the OCC employs it deliberately. It's not about a sudden tragedy or unavoidable catastrophe but a deliberate policy of planned neglect—a chronic disregard that slowly claims lives while the regime looks the other way.
At the heart of this accusation is the paradox of a country whose elite, represented by GAESA and MINSAP, hoards billions while hospitals lack basic supplies like analgesics, serums, or latex gloves.
Images of overcrowded wards, makeshift patient beds, and desperate families are now commonplace in Cuba, starkly contrasting with the regime's claims of investing health system profits from GAESA's medical services contracts with other countries back into public healthcare.
The massive export of medical personnel, a state enterprise depriving Cuban hospitals of professionals while filling regime coffers with foreign currency, has reached obscene levels, creating a primary structural deficiency in the health system.
Exhausted and underpaid, remaining doctors face material shortages and an ever-growing number of patients.
Vector control deterioration is another link in this chain of negligence. Fumigation campaigns are delayed or canceled due to lack of fuel and malathion, allowing mosquito breeding sites to expand unchecked. The seasonal rains provided the perfect catalyst for rapid viral spread.
Meanwhile, official silence remains a state policy. Authorities acknowledge only three deaths, while social media, doctors, and families report dozens. Transparency is absent, and information is either withheld or manipulated to maintain the narrative that "everything is under control."
Thus, the OCC refers to a silent genocide: each omission, lie, and denied death is part of a strategy that places human life second to preserving the regime's international image. It's the slow extermination of a people through neglect, disregard, and indifference.
As Cubans continue to endure fever, pain, long hospital waits, and a lack of diagnosis and medication, the regime insists that "everything is under control."
This gap between reality and official discourse is a form of indirect violence. Cuba's health crisis is no longer merely a systemic failure—it is a systematic act of abandonment.
The OCC has struck a chord: "There are no deaths, but there are." Recognizing, documenting, and making them visible is essential for the international community and global public opinion to stop treating this tragedy as a mere anomaly. Because it is not. It is part of the human cost of Cuba's system.
Until such recognition is achieved, Cubans will continue to pay with their bodies and lives for the indifference of those with the power to prevent it.
Complete List of Virus-Related Deaths in Cuba, According to the OCC
Juan, grandfather of actor Ariel Cabrera, Cárdenas (Matanzas), died on October 2, 2025.
Paqui, 50 years old, San Cayetano neighborhood, Santa Marta, Cárdenas (Matanzas), died around October 12, 2025.
Unidentified young man, 22 years old, San Cayetano neighborhood, Santa Marta, Cárdenas (Matanzas), date unspecified.
Unidentified child, 13 years old, Guanabacoa (Havana) October 15.
Yuniel, young worker, age unspecified, Cárdenas (Matanzas), October 11.
Adelaida Yanes, 63 years old, Cifuentes (Villa Clara), October 15.
Ernestina Aróstegui Varona, 87, grandmother of activist Anamely Ramos, Camagüey, October 13.
Katherine, grandmother of César Roche Torres, 76, Matanzas city, October 7.
Man, 70, husband of a former university professor's grandmother, Matanzas city, date unspecified.
Child, age unspecified, Manzanillo (Granma) October 24.
Olga Rosa López Sardiñas, 75, mother of exiled artist Eduardo Antonio, Placetas (Villa Clara), October 23.
Man, 35, son of Doris Rodríguez, Havana, October 18.
Maritza Herrera Soler, dissident, Havana, October 29.
Unidentified girl, 6, daughter of Fernandito, Rafael Freyre, Holguín, October 21.
Agustín Luis Patricio, Callejón Vásquez between May 20 and San Rafael, Camagüey, October 23.
Understanding Cuba's Health Crisis and Government Negligence
What is the "silent genocide" in Cuba?
The term "silent genocide" refers to the Cuban Conflict Observatory's description of Cuba's health crisis, characterized by deliberate governmental neglect and lack of response to a worsening epidemiological situation.
Why does the OCC blame the Cuban regime for the health crisis?
The OCC attributes the crisis to state negligence, corruption, and a disregard for human life. Despite having significant financial resources, the regime has failed to allocate funds for basic public health needs, leading to an unchecked spread of diseases.
How has the health crisis impacted Cuban hospitals?
Cuban hospitals are overwhelmed, lacking essential supplies and personnel. The shortage of medical staff is exacerbated by the state's export of healthcare professionals, leaving remaining doctors to cope with increasing patient loads and material shortages.
What role does GAESA play in the health crisis?
GAESA, a military-business conglomerate, holds substantial offshore funds that have not been used to address Cuba's public health needs. This lack of investment contributes to the ongoing health crisis by failing to support essential infrastructure and services.