Sand Fleas and Mosquitoes in Cuba: The Survival Guide (2024)

Visit Cuba, and you’ll experience sun, sand, beach, and… oh yeah, mosquitoes and sand fleas.

Although Cuba is generally a safe country to visit, mosquitoes may represent a health hazard for travelers. In most cases, mosquito bites will be just an annoyance.

However, Cuba’s year-round heat and humidity, the poor infrastructure and waste management practices, and the Government’s lack of access to newer mosquito control tools all contribute to frequent mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.

In this guide, we will help you stay safe from mosquitoes and sand fleas so they don’t ruin your vacation.

How Bad Are Mosquitoes in Cuba?

Mosquito bites may be pretty bad in Cuba. Although the government has recently stepped up its efforts to fight mosquitoes in Cuba, mosquito-borne illness outbreaks are still common.

However, how many mosquitoes you encounter depends on when and where you go on the island.

Mosquito Season

Cuba is home to a year-round mosquito community, but mosquitoes worsen during the rainy season. The wet season in Cuba runs from May to October, when the island gets most of its annual rainfall. Since mosquitoes love damp weather, you’ll see more during the wet season.

Mosquito Territory

While mosquito activity can vary across different regions in Cuba, some areas may be more prone to higher mosquito populations.

Here are a few locations where mosquitoes may be more prevalent:

• Coastal areas: mosquitoes can be more common in coastal regions, especially those with mangroves, such as the keys in the island’s northern part.
• Wetlands: areas with standing water, such as the Zapata Swamp and lagoons, are favorable breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
• Rural and vegetated areas: places with dense vegetation, rural landscapes, and agricultural regions, such as the Viñales Valley in Pinar del Rio, may have higher mosquito populations.
• Neglected neighborhoods in major cities: poor infrastructure is a widely known problem in Cuba. However, waste management and drainage systems can be notably worse in certain areas of major cities, such as El Fanguito, La Timba, Los Sitios, or Los Pocitos in Havana.

Diseases You Can Get From Mosquitoes in Cuba

Most mosquito bites in Cuba won’t lead to a virus. However, mosquitoes might be vectors for some serious blood-borne diseases in Cuba, such as Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika.

Cuba experiences yearly Dengue outbreaks, so the risk of catching Dengue Fever is much higher than catching Chikungunya or Zika.

The last reported case of Zika was way back in December 2019. While isolated cases occasionally crop up, there’s never been a Chikungunya outbreak in Cuba.

These diseases aren’t unique to Cuba or a high risk to travelers, but you should be aware of them and their symptoms if you get sick while traveling.

You should seek medical treatment immediately if you experience fever, rash, vomiting, body aches, and headaches lasting more than 24 hours.

How to Avoid Mosquito Bites in Cuba

Fun fact about Cuba: 100% of travelers to Cuba want to avoid getting bit by mosquitoes – just kidding, that’s not an official statistic, but I think we can agree that nobody enjoys getting bit!

Luckily, there are a few strategies you can take advantage of to keep mosquitoes away during your trip.

Bring mosquito repellent

We recommend carrying a can of DEET repellent with you at all times. Please consult the EPA guide to using insect repellents safely for more tips.

Bring electric mosquito coils

When mosquito repellent alone isn’t enough to keep the critters at bay, you may want to add a mosquito coil to your arsenal.

If you plan to venture away from the coast and into the muggy countryside, a mosquito coil should be on your list of things to bring to Cuba.

Spray permethrin on clothing and gear

You can supplement your DEET or eucalyptus oil with a permethrin insect repellent. This is a powerful synthetic repellent, so avoid contact with the skin and use it on your clothing or gear.

If you do wild camping, sleep in a mosquito bed

If you do wild camping in Cuba, prepare for a shocking number of mosquitoes in the rugged countryside. A nighttime mosquito net is an absolute must.

If you go out during peak times, wear clothing that covers your arms and legs

Mosquitoes are most active at sunrise and sunset. If you must venture out during peak mosquito hours, cover your body with long sleeves, pants, and shoes instead of sandals.

Close all doors and windows when going to bed

You might be tempted to leave your windows open for a cooler breeze to circulate on a hot night. Unfortunately, doing this means you’ll probably wake up with unwanted guests in your room: mosquitoes!

Close your doors and windows before you sleep to keep the bugs outside where they belong.

Treat the symptoms if you get bit

Even if you take every precaution, you’ll probably still end up with a couple of mosquito bites.

You can soothe the symptoms with Tylenol and Hydrocortisone Cream. Don’t take aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)! If you come down with Dengue fever, aspirin can worsen your symptoms.

Finally, please bring travel health insurance to Cuba. In the event of a mosquito bite leading to an illness, having health insurance can help cover medical expenses, including hospitalization and treatment. We recommend Insubuy’s travel insurance plans for Cuba.

Sand Fleas in Cuba: How to Avoid Them

Mosquitoes aren’t the only pesky insects to watch out for in Cuba. There are also sand fleas (“jejenes”)!

True to their name, sand fleas thrive on Cuba’s sandy, warm-weather beaches. Avoiding sand fleas and their itchy bites means following a few golden rules while on the beach.

Go to the beach at midday

Sand fleas are most active during the cooler times of the day, like early morning and twilight.

Don’t sit directly on the sand

Since sand fleas are mixed in with the sand, sand-proof beach blankets are best at keeping fleas away.

Stay off the beach after the rain

Rain drives sand fleas out of the sand and onto any climbable surfaces, including people!

Avoid the beaches for a few hours after it rains to allow the sand to dry out and the fleas to return home.

Don’t scratch the itches

If you get bit by a sand flea, you will have a powerful urge to scratch the itch. Don’t do it!

Scratching sand flea bites makes the itch worse and takes longer to heal. Instead, lather on soothing aloe vera gel, calamine cream, or tiger balm.

Staying Bug-Bite Free in Cuba

Bugs may be hard to avoid in Cuba. However, in most cases, sand fleas and mosquito bites in Cuba will result in just annoyance. Getting seriously sick from bug bites on the island is rare.

We hope the tips in this article will make you better prepared to deal with sand fleas and mosquitoes, even in the worst-case scenario. However, if you have important medical concerns, please consult your doctor before flying to Cuba.

Have you experienced serious bug bites in Cuba? Let us know in the comments!