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Abstract
This article examines the political and economic issues that arose in relations between the Soviet bloc and Cuba from 1959 through 1991, including the admission of Cuba into the Soviet-dominated Council for Economic Mutual Assistance (CMEA) in the early 1970s. The article breaks new ground by consulting previously unseen primary documents originating from the East European states and Cuba, which highlight the often contentious ties between the European CMEA states and Cuba. The East European governments were often dismayed by the egregious economic mismanagement of Fidel Castro's regime and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to encourage better policies. The relationship that emerged was shaped in part by Cuba's ever-increasing demands, by the East European states' own economic limitations, and by the Soviet Union's far-reaching political objectives.

Background: Just two decades ago, 30 of today's countries in Europe and Asia had socialist governments under Soviet dominance or direct administration. Intensive health system reforms have altered infection control in many of these countries. However, much of the literature from these countries is difficult to access by international scientists. Aim: To summarize existing infection control policies and practices in post-Soviet Bloc countries. Methods: In addition to PubMed and Google search engines, we explored local websites and grey literature. In total, 192 references published in several languages were reviewed. Findings: Infection control in these countries is in the midst of transition. Three groups of countries were identified. First, Eastern European and Baltic countries building surveillance systems for specific pathogens and antibiotic use; second, European post-Soviet Bloc countries focusing on the harmonization of recently established infection control infrastructure with European surveillance programmes; third, countries such as those formerly in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Mongolia and post-conflict Eastern European countries that are in the first stages of reform. Poor commitment, resource scarcity and shortages of expertise were identified. Underreporting of official infection control statistics is widespread. Conclusions: Guidance from international organizations has been crucial in initiating and developing contemporary infection control programmes. More support from the international community will be needed for the third group of countries, where infection control has remained a neglected issue.