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By Carolyn Smith-Morris


The coronavirus has now arrived in many Indigenous communities. The first case was reported in the Brazilian Amazon a few weeks ago. The Navajo Nation is grappling with a surge of cases. The disproportionate risk for COVID-19 infection and related harms suffered by Indigenous and minority communities has become extreme due to preexisting health conditions and inequalities across the board.


Photo: Celia Panduro (Shipibo) of Masisea, Pucallpa, Peru, holds a sign that says "Stay at home" in her native language. Photo by Cecilio Soria, social communicator with the Shipibo Konibo Xetebo Indigenous governance council, whose radio station was supported by a grant from Cultural Survival in 2018.

 

By Danielle DeLuca
 

By Minnie Degawan
 
Now, four months into the worldwide crisis brought about by COVID 19, the situation of Indigenous Peoples is slowly coming to light with the dissemination of reports from different Indigenous organizations. Indigenous Peoples are facing particularly challenging times due to some basic facts including the susceptibility of Indigenous communities to infectious diseases due to their lower immunity and, their lack of, or limited access to information, among others. 

Por Bia’ni Madsa' Juárez López, Gerente del Fondo Guardianes de la Tierra
 

El mundo se encuentra en un momento de crisis ante la pandemia COVID-19 que hasta este momento (3 de abril de 2020, 12:59 pm CT) contabiliza 1,066,706 personas contagiadas en 181 países, con un impacto de 56,767 personas fallecidas. Esta crisis ha tenido grandes implicaciones que no son exclusivamente médicas. Aumento en el desempleo, baja en la producción, escasez y encarecimiento de productos básicos son algunos de los mayores ejemplos. 
 

En 1948, la Asamblea Mundial de la Salud declaró que cada 7 de abril se conmemore el Día Mundial de la Salud por la necesidad de garantizar el acceso a servicios públicos de salud para toda la población sin importar las condiciones económicas de las personas. El derecho a la salud es un derecho básico de todos los humanos, y también, de los Pueblos Indígenas.

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