[News] Cuban Infant Mortality Rate Has Doubled Due to the U.S. Blockade Tightening

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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Cuban Infant Mortality Rate Has Doubled Due to the U.S. Blockade Tightening
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Cuban doctor takes care of a newborn. Photo: Servicios Medicos Cubanos.
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June 17, 2026
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The rate rose from 4.0 per 1,000 live births in 2017 to 9.9 in 2025.

On Wednesday, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) reported
that the tightening of the U.S. blockade against Cuba has a direct impact
on children’s health. The infant mortality rate has doubled, rising from
4.0 per 1,000 live births in 2017 to 9.9 in 2025.

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These figures represent the loss of approximately 1,800 children due to a
lack of essential medical resources. Meanwhile, the survival rate for
children with cancer has fallen from 85% to 65% due to energy shortages,
which affect the operation of hospitals and medical equipment.

The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reports that some 12,000 children
are awaiting elective or reconstructive surgeries, within a national
waiting list that exceeds 100,000 patients, including more than 5,000
cancer cases.

The National Immunization Program, which includes 16 vaccines, faces risks
due to a lack of raw materials and equipment. Furthermore, 300 of the 395
essential medicines are in short supply, and production of diagnostic tools
for early cancer detection has been halted.

The energy crisis has led to blackouts lasting more than 20 hours a day,
affecting cooking, access to drinking water, and communications. More than
100,000 children have stopped receiving their daily subsidized liter of
milk, and rationed bread has been reduced from 80 to 60 grams due to flour
shortages.

The report denounces that 170 containers of essential goods, 11,000 tons of
food from the World Food Programme (WFP), and shipments from UNICEF and
UNDP remain stranded in ports or are being distributed slowly.

The executive orders of January 29 and May 1 extended the extraterritorial
effects of the blockade, prompting the departure of foreign corporations
such as Sherritt International, Blue Diamond, Melia, and Iberostar, as well
as the disruption of shipping services by companies like CMA CGM and
Hapag-Lloyd.

*teleSUR: JP*

*Source: EFE*
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