Social Initiatives

Cuba

Helping to prevent dengue fever

Dengue fever is a dangerous tropical disease that causes joint and muscle pain, fever and even internal bleeding in severe cases. In a worst-case scenario, the disease can be fatal. The disease is widespread in many South and Central American countries and in Asia. As dengue is transmitted by mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti), the authorities have urged the population to take steps to control them, mainly by removing their breeding grounds. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs on the edges of water containers, which can include bottle caps, leaves and receptacles of all sizes. If these breeding grounds are removed or covered, the mosquitoes' can no longer multiply.

As part of a special program funded by the Cuban Ministry for Public Health (MINSAP), the German Federation of Samaritan Workers and Bayer AG, 2,270 hermetically sealed plastic tanks were distributed free-of-charge in the city of Guantánamo to reduce the spread of mosquitoes. The 60-gallon tanks were manufactured in Havana, Cuba..

The city of Guantánamo has about 230,000 residents and lies at the easternmost end of the Caribbean island. Neither the city nor the province of the same name has sufficient drinking water available for the local inhabitants, so the water needs to be brought in suitable containers.

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