Havana ( CNN ) -- Cuba has stepped up efforts to douse speculation over the health of its former leader Fidel Castro by publishing an article under his name in state-run media in which he scoffs at recent rumors and those who circulated them . The article , published on the official website Cubadebate early Monday , is accompanied by photos of Castro , 86 , walking with a cane in a garden and looking at a copy of Granma , the state-run newspaper . `` I do n't even remember what a headache is , '' Castro writes in the article , saying the photos are `` proof of what liars '' those responsible for the rumors are . The article comes after a former Venezuelan vice president said Sunday that Castro was `` doing very well '' and showed reporters a snapshot of the former Cuban leader that he said was taken the day before . Read more : Twitterer denies his account is source of Castro death rumor . Speculation has surged over Castro 's health in recent weeks . He has not been seen publicly since March , when he met with Pope Benedict XVI during the pontiff 's visit to Cuba . In the article published early Monday , Castro cites the coverage of the Bay of Pigs attack and the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s as previous examples of misinformation by news media groups that are `` almost all in the hands of the privileged and rich . '' He singled out for particular scorn a recent report by the Spanish newspaper ABC that cited a Venezuelan doctor as saying that Castro had had a stroke and was close to death . Elias Jaua , the former Venezuelan vice president , said Sunday he had discussed a variety of subjects with the former Cuban leader in a lengthy meeting . `` Comandante Fidel was kind enough to meet with us yesterday , '' Jaua said . `` We talked for five hours about agriculture , history , international politics . '' Cuba state media releases message from Fidel Castro . The photograph , Jaua said , shows Castro and several members of his family in a van accompanying Jaua to the Havana hotel where he is staying . Employees at the Hotel Nacional said they spoke with Castro and he looked well . `` He had good color . ... He was happy , with a permanent smile on his face , and talking about a lot of things , '' said Antonio Martinez , the director of the government-run hotel . Read more : Mariela Castro visits New York ; addresses gay rights issues . On Wednesday , Cuban state media released the first communique said to be from the ex-leader since speculation over his health reached a fever pitch earlier this month . The message quoted Castro congratulating doctors graduating from a Cuban medical institute and mentioning the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis . Castro 's usually frequent newspaper columns and musings suddenly ended in June . But his silence after the re-election of close ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in October prompted many of his opponents to wonder whether Castro was again ailing or perhaps already dead . `` The comandante is well , following his daily routine , reading , exercising , '' said Alex Castro , one of Castro 's sons , told Cuban state media after the reports of his ill health . Still , a barrage of postings on Twitter and other social media had Castro at death 's door . He said in the article Monday that he had stopped his newspaper writing because it was no longer his `` role to take up the pages of our press '' when there were other issues requiring the nation 's attention . Castro never fully recovered after a surgery for a still unknown intestinal illness in 2006 . Two years later , his brother Raul Castro officially succeeded him . Read more : Cuba eases travel restrictions . CNN 's Jethro Mullen in Hong Kong contributed to this report .
The article is accompanied by photos of Castro in a garden . In the article, he said that his father had been born on July 4, 1903, and was named after Fidel Castro. Speculation has surged over Castro 's health in recent weeks .