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14ymedio describes a widespread fear of catching hepatitis in Havana

The disease has taken over conversations across the city and is changing daily habits, according to a chronicle published on Tuesday by 14ymedio; there are no official figures on how many people are sick.

In a chronicle published on Tuesday, 14ymedio recounts five mentions of hepatitis in a single morning walking through Centro Habana: a mother forbidding her son to eat in the street, an elderly woman with two sick grandchildren, with yellowing skin and an inflamed liver, a nurse outside a clinic, a shop assistant boasting about how clean her glasses are, and a message in a WhatsApp group. "Nobody knows for certain how many people are sick", the author writes, in remarks translated by Yamacoa.

The fear points to contaminated water and food. According to the same text, prolonged blackouts and gas cuts make it hard to boil water, and household filters are beyond many budgets. At a hardware store on Reina street, closed to the public, employees were selling a water jug for 2.20 dollars from a makeshift table on the sidewalk.

Sources: 14ymedio

Data updated: 2026-11-04T04:15:00.000Z

14ymedio describes a widespread fear of catching hepatitis in Havana | Yamacoa Observatory