News · Health
CDC links 79 hepatitis A cases found in Florida to Cuba and advises vaccination before travelling
A study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published on September 24, links to Cuba 79 of the 249 hepatitis A cases confirmed in Florida between June 2024 and February 2026. Of those patients, 72% needed hospital care and none died.
A total of 79 hepatitis A cases detected in Florida between June 2024 and February 2026 were epidemiologically linked to Cuba, out of the 249 cases confirmed in the state during that period, according to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published on September 24.
Of those cases, 76 were people who had recently travelled to Cuba, 31% of the state total, and three more were tied to the outbreak through genetic testing or epidemiological links. Among the 79 patients, 72% needed hospital care and no deaths were recorded. The median age was 39, they lived in 13 counties and Miami-Dade accounted for 46 cases, 58% of the total linked to Cuba.
Of 18 samples analysed by genetic sequencing, 15 shared the same strain of genotype IA, a result consistent with a common origin. The researchers stress that they could not confirm that all the infections were acquired on Cuban soil. Among the 29 patients who answered an additional questionnaire, 12, or 41%, said they had drunk tap water, although others drank bottled, boiled or filtered water. The virus has an incubation period of 15 to 50 days, which makes it hard to establish where each exposure happened.
The CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccination or immune globulin before travelling to Cuba, with particular attention to adults over 40, immunocompromised people and those with chronic liver disease travelling within two weeks.
In September, Cuba's deputy public health minister, Carilda Peña García, acknowledged a rise in hepatitis and diarrhoeal diseases linked to the deterioration of sanitation, water treatment and waste collection. The authorities have not released detailed national statistics on hepatitis A infections, according to 14ymedio.
Sources: 14ymedio · CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Data updated: 2026-11-08T04:15:00.000Z