Holguín: One the lowest mortality rates in the country
- Written by Lourdes Pichs Rodríguez
- Published in Health
- Hits: 48
Photo: Luis Carlos Palacios Leyva / La Demajagua
Holguín stands out in April, Pediatrics Month, with an infant mortality rate of 5.98 per thousand live births, the lowest among provinces with the highest number of births, ranking among the country's top four, though still below pre-pandemic levels.
Dr. C. Alberto Rubén Piriz Assa, head of the Maternal-Child Section of the Provincial Health Directorate, clarified that this superiority is evident when compared to provinces like Sancti Spíritus, which has zero deaths but only half of Holguín's births. By mid-April, there were 2,006 births, 304 more than in 2025, with 12 infant deaths, two more than the previous year.
Of those deaths, six occurred outside the province, and four were children of teenagers, including one from a 16-year-old mother. This calls for reflection from families, schools, communities, and society to prevent early pregnancies.
Piriz Assa highlighted social factors in the deaths: two at home, one in Moa due to co-sleeping (sleeping with parents), the most common household accident, along with bronchoaspiration, which is reduced by proper breastfeeding.
Of 3,260 pregnant women as of April 18, 624 were under 18 (21%). The "Zero Teenage Pregnancy" program is being promoted, a multisectoral effort starting from the family, school, and society. The ideal age for gestation is 22-34 years, ideally around 25, after university studies to plan ahead.
Municipalities like Cacocum, Cueto, "Frank País", Sagua de Tánamo, Gibara, "Rafael Freyre", and "Calixto García" have high teenage pregnancy rates. Actions are coordinated with the Prosecutor's Office: sex with minors under 12 is a crime, as is transmitting STDs to teenage pregnant women by older spouses
