COVID-19 and Brazilian Indigenous Populations

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Aug;103(2):609-612. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0563. Epub 2020 Jun 9.

Abstract

The newly discovered SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of COVID-19, including severe respiratory symptoms with an important lethality rate and high dissemination capacity. Considering the indigenous people of Brazil, it is feared that COVID-19 will spread to these communities, causing another stage of decimation. Despite advances in indigenous health care in the country, there are still many challenges due to the social vulnerability of this population, whose lands continue to be illegally exploited. Based on these considerations, this article discusses challenges in caring for the indigenous population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / ethnology*
  • Health Services, Indigenous
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / ethnology*
  • Population Groups*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Vulnerable Populations