COVID-19 en comunidades indígenas selváticas

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has advanced worldwide, reaching almost all the territories of the world. According to recent studies, there are some comorbidities that affect patients from different nations (1). Mortality rates indicate that ethnicity could affect the outcome of the disease, with little information to support this (2). If this origin is determined to be associated with adverse COVID-19 outcomes, this should be reported directly and urgently to public health institutions internationally (3). Indigenous Amazonian populations are highly vulnerable to the COVID-19 crisis, due to the movement of people from communities near urban centers to communities in the Amazon, along with the lack of health policies for COVID-19 in this population, the A pandemic has fertile ground to spread rapidly among such populations, which could lead to disaster in the short and medium-term. This includes communities that live closest to cities, those that live in isolation, and those that have had initial contact. Many indigenous peoples in Latin America still live in isolated environments where conditions are unfavorable for life. People living within natural ecosystems are exposed to many health risks, mainly due to their difficult environment (4). According to the latest national census of indigenous communities in Peru, 32% of these communities have health posts, and of these, 92% of those do not have medical personnel, and 1.7% offer hospitalization (5). The situation of Amazonian indigenous peoples is extremely vulnerable. Non-communicable diseases such as malnutrition and anemia, as well as the high prevalence of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and dengue leave them highly exposed to other diseases (6). In addition to the lack of basic services, many communities are exposed to the oil spills that affect them directly. The first case of a member of an indigenous community in Peru that tested positive for the new coronavirus was recorded in late March and spread in Europe. Many communities are exercising their autonomy to take care of themselves, not leave their territory and protect it by closing their borders and other mechanisms. They must insist on emergency health care, with the establishment of safety protocols that make possible rapid evacuation in the event of an outbreak of the virus within their communities. Communication must be in native languages and must be accessible to the community. A gender-sensitive approach should also be included, taking into account the role of women as primary caregivers of children and older adults within their homes. The fundamental bases for the plans must focus on the Access Points and the external Risk towards the peasant communities. Indigenous communities have been the hardest hit by health crises, from their first contact with civilization to their subsequent globalization, there must be a multidisciplinary approach with the sole objective of protecting this population. It is their condition of being vulnerable and enriching for the nations, it must prioritize the attention of their primary needs, one of the health. The state as the governing body must implement rapid actions based on the global conjuncture of the pandemic by COVID-19 and subsequently improve its health system. Not much is known about the SARS-Cov-2 virus or how it could act in indigenous communities since it is a foreign entity, so we must isolate and strengthen the incipient health system of this population, using extreme biosecurity and containment measures in the case we find a positive case within the same community