Havana. Dec 2 (BNA): Cuba confirmed the deaths of 33 people from mosquito-borne illnesses in recent months in an epidemic that has hit at least one-third of the population.

According to Reuters, the Deputy Minister of Health Carilda Peña said 12 people had died of dengue and 21 of chikungunya, the two viruses circulating widely across the Caribbean island nation.

She added that at least 21 of those who died were under the age of 18.

Havana and Santiago, Cuba's two largest cities, have seen some of the highest rates of infection in recent weeks.

Symptoms of Chikungunya cause severe headache, rashes and joint pain that can linger months after infection, causing long-term disability, though it is rarely fatal.

The World Health Organissation in July issued an urgent call for action to prevent a repeat of an epidemic of the chikungunya virus that swept the globe two decades ago.

N.B, Z.H, S.E