People sit on a rooftop checking their phones while another stands inside a home during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, June 10, 2026. [Photo/Agencies]
HAVANA - The US embargo against Cuba has caused incalculable humanitarian damage and become the main obstacle to the Caribbean country's social development, Cuban online news outlet Cubadebate said Monday.
Citing a study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Cubadebate said Cuba's infant mortality rate rose from 4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025, an increase of 148 percent.
The report said the sharp rise in infant mortality during that period may have been mainly caused by the tightening of US sanctions against Cuba, which began during US President Donald Trump's first term in 2017.
Cuban officials, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and Deputy Public Health Minister Carilda Pena, have recently denounced the impact of the US embargo on Cuba's healthcare system, particularly the effects of executive orders issued on Jan 29 and May 1 this year.
