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- Population is estimated at 11,263,429
- Official language is Spanish
- Literacy rate is 97%
- Death rate is 7.38 per 1,000
- Birth rate is 11.87 per 1,000
- Life expectancy at birth for males is 74.34 years, and for females
is 79.36 years
- Median age of males is 33.9 years, and of females is 35.2 years
- Predominately urban
- Roman Catholic is the major religion
Health Care and Public Health
Availability of quality health care for each citizen has been a top priority
in Cuba, and it is in second place only to education. Health clinics and
health care providers are located throughout the country - even in rural
areas - and, health care is free. The emphasis of the Cuban Health Care
system is on prevention, health education, and community medicine. Maintaining
one's good health is seen as a positive characteristic of a revolutionary
citizen. Cuba has a strong national health profile which is unparalleled
in countries with similar economic situations.
One public health approach in Cuba that has received close scrutiny (negative
publicity) by public health professionals in the US is its practice of
placing its HIV-positive citizens under quarantine. Such citizens are
required to live in compounds, apart from families; however, their care
is supported by the state. The Cuban government hospitalizes HIV-positive
persons who have developed AIDS. It is important to note, however, that
Cuba's AIDS rate (0.8 reported cases per 100,000 people) is one of lowest
in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Culture
Cubans value eye contact in conversations and are generally warm and affectionate
in communication. They express themselves in a way that might seem demanding
to Americans. They have a patriarchal social structure and value the nuclear
family as the basic unit.
Cubans have the highest levels of vaccination in South America. Ill people
prefer to take on a passive and dependent role; women generally care for
the sick. All health decisions are made in collaboration with family members.
Moderate obesity indicates good health and thinness indicates poor health
to Cubans. Good hygiene is an important part of Cuban culture. Patients
will struggle to use the toilet rather than a bedpan. Cubans may have
poor dental health, high rates of cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases,
and diabetes. Men are not generally involved in the delivery of babies,
and the mother and baby remain inside the home for 41 days after delivery.
Breastfeeding is a common practice. Both men and women express pain openly,
though both may tolerate painful procedures without complaint.
Health risks in Refugees and Immigrants from Cuba
- Tuberculosis (small risk)
- Dengue fever
- Malnutrition
- Hepatitis A
- Intestinal parasites (helminthic, amebiasis, giardiasis)
- Hepatitis B
- Chagas disease (trypanosomiasis)
- Leptospirosis
- STDs, including HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea
- Chronic noncommunicable illnesses including (in decreasing order of
importance as cause of death) cardiovascular disease, malignant neoplasms,
cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma,
and diabetes. The prevalence of hypertension is 30.6%
Economy
Cuba is recovering slowly from a severe economic recession that occurred
in 1990; this recession followed the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies
(about $4 to $6 billion annually). The Cuban government accuses the US embargo
that was initiated in 1961 - and, one which continues to be in place today
- for its economic difficulties. Cuba remains impoverished, especially after
the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in the early 1990s.
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