U.S. embargo inflicts severe humanitarian toll on Cuba: media

HAVANA, June 15– The U.S. 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 U.S. sanctions against Cuba, which began during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.