Cuban medical brigade care for over 11,000 cases in Sierra Leone: report

HAVANA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Cuban medical brigade has returned to Havana after providing health services in Sierra Leone for three months, the official daily "Juventud Rebelde" reported on Tuesday.

When arriving Monday night at Jose Marti International Airport, Yoel Torres, head of the team, said that the island's doctors took care of more than 11,000 cases, especially respiratory infections, malaria and intestinal parasitism.

"The Government of Sierra Leone organized refugee and homeless camps, and in those facilities we provided service in spite of adverse conditions. The population thanked the Cuban presence during these months," Torres was quoted by the newspaper.

This was the 27th brigade of Cuba's Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade created by the late President Fidel Castro in 2005, and sent by the Cuban government to offer medical care overseas.

The island's medical teams have cooperated in 67 countries since 1962, according to official data from the Health Ministry. Enditem