Stemming COVID-19 in Cuba: Strengths, Strategies, Challenges Francisco Durán MD. National Director of Epidemiology, Ministry of Public Health, Cuba

ABSTRACT

Dr Durán is a native of eastern San-tiago de Cuba and his early medical career began in this mountainous re-gion, where he also headed provin-cial prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. He went on to become rector of the Medical University of Santiago de Cuba and provincial health direc-tor. Later in Havana, Dr Durán was director of medical education and vice minister at the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). Abroad, he served as advisor to Angola's Minister of Health, and on his return, as deputy director of Cuba's Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK). Dr Durán has been "battle-tested" over the years by his involvement in stemming dengue epidemics and other infectious dis-ease outbreaks, good preparation for his current position as National Direc-tor of Epidemiology. Today, his is the voice and the face on the 1100 AM briefing carried daily by Cuban television, reporting the latest data on the un-folding COVID-19 pandemic globally, in the Americas and.