Cuban fever facts for kids
Cuban fever (also called calentura) was a common name for a sickness that caused high fevers and sometimes made people confused. In 1898, doctors discovered that Cuban fever was actually a type of malaria.
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What Was Cuban Fever?
The name "Cuban fever" was first used by a doctor named Alexander McCall in 1845. He wrote about a long-lasting fever he had seen in places like Brazil, Cuba, and the Yucatán Peninsula. Later, in 1860, a writer named Julia Ward Howe also described a sickness she called Cuban fever.
Cuban Fever During the Spanish-American War
The term "Cuban fever" became very well known during the Spanish–American War. Many American soldiers fighting in Cuba and the Philippines got sick with this fever. It often started with chills and a high body temperature, around 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius). People would also have muscle pains, headaches, feel sick to their stomach, and be very weak.
Many soldiers got better within a week. However, the fever often came back again and again, sometimes daily or every few weeks. For example, U.S. Army Major General William Rufus Shafter often felt sick with Cuban fever after he came home from the war.
Discovering the Truth About Cuban Fever
Doctors wanted to understand exactly what Cuban fever was. James Ewing, a pathologist (a doctor who studies diseases), in New York City studied blood samples from many patients. He found that most of the cases of Cuban fever were a common type of malaria. The rest were another type of malaria. This research helped doctors understand that Cuban fever was not a new disease, but a form of malaria.
Theodore Roosevelt and Cuban Fever
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, who led a group of soldiers called the "Rough Riders" in the Spanish–American War, also got Cuban fever. Like many of his soldiers, he suffered from the sickness. Even though doctors gave him medicine, the fever kept returning for a long time, even when he was president. Sometimes, when the fever was bad, he would feel very confused.
