I can’t speak from personal observation about alleged Cuban government efforts to conceal the spread of cholera as discussed in the Dec. 9 article, Cuba stays silent about deadly cholera, but I can speak to their openly dealing with the dengue fever epidemic of Sept. 2006 because I was in Havana when it happened. Far from trying to conceal what was going on, the authorities had spray trucks fogging the streets of the city. Every afternoon, a spray plane flew overhead and there were official notices posted warning about the fever-carrying mosquitoes.

If supporters of the failed-for-50-years Cuban embargo truly cared about cholera sufferers on the island, they would cease ranting about the Castros and send doctors, medical supplies, technicians and equipment to help revamp the water distribution and sewer systems in the worst-affected areas.

Richard Rosichan, Miami Beach