Urgent alert issued for travelers to Cuba after virus outbreak. Is Miami affected?

A new outbreak has hit Cuba, and the U.S. embassy responded with measures that travelers from Miami and other U.S. cities connected by flights to the island must follow.

The chikungunya alert was issued Tuesday by the consular office on social media, after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an update with additional precautions for travelers to Cuba.

Official sources had previously reported the outbreak, located mainly in some areas near major tourist destinations in Cuba.

So far, no locally transmitted cases of chikungunya have been reported in Florida, but the state has seen 15 cases this year in people who recently traveled to places where the disease is endemic, according to the most recent state data.

Of those 15 travel-related cases, four of the people live in Broward County and five live in Miami-Dade. The report states that six of the infected people had recently traveled to Cuba. Others had traveled to Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

John-Paul Mutebi, the head of Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control, told the Miami Herald the county is monitoring the situation through a system of more than 300 mosquito traps that have been set up.

“We have battled mosquito-borne diseases effectively for many years in partnership with the Florida Department of Health and will aggressively address this threat,” he said in a statement.

Health alert for Chikungunya virus

According to the U.S. embassy in Cuba, the CDC issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice (“Practice Enhanced Precautions”) in response to a Chikungunya outbreak in Cuba.

The virus is transmitted by the bite of certain mosquito species and, according to Cuban officials, the island had not reported cases of the disease since 2015.

Symptoms usually appear three to seven days after being bitten and include fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, swelling or skin rash. Most cases recover within a week, but some patients may experience severe joint pain lasting for months or even years.

“Pregnant women should reconsider travel, especially in the later stages of pregnancy,” the U.S. embassy warned.

“Older adults, newborns, and people with conditions such as diabetes or heart disease are at greater risk of serious illness,” the post noted.

The embassy outlined several measures travelers should take:

• Consult with a doctor before traveling.
• Review travel insurance for medical evacuation options.
• Seek medical care if symptoms appear.
• Visit the CDC’s chikungunya in Cuba page for more information.

How to protect yourself from mosquito bites while traveling to Cuba

The CDC also recommends additional protective measures such as using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and staying in air-conditioned accommodations or places with screened windows and doors.

“Women infected at the time of delivery can pass the virus to their baby before or during birth. Newborns infected in this way or by mosquito bites are at risk of severe illness, including long-term complications,” the CDC warns.

Recently, the Cuban government confirmed the presence of chikungunya in Matanzas province, where the first cases had been diagnosed since July.

Official sources denied rumors of a collapse in the country’s healthcare system due to the outbreak, insisting that hospitals had the capacity to admit patients.

The U.S. embassy in Cuba had issued a similar alert in August regarding visits to the island amid reports of chikungunya and other diseases such as dengue and oropouche virus. It also recommended purchasing travel insurance before flying.

More recently, the U.S. embassy also cautioned travelers to Cuba about safety measures during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November.

Miami Herald health reporter Michelle Marchante contributed to this story.

This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM.