Spatial distribution and incidence of covid-19 cases in indigenous populations in the xingu River Region, Pará, Brazil
International Journal of Development Research
Spatial distribution and incidence of covid-19 cases in indigenous populations in the xingu River Region, Pará, Brazil
Received 20th June 2020; Received in revised form 19th July 2020; Accepted 11th August 2020; Published online 30th September 2020
Copyright © 2020, Rômulo de Castro Sousa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-COV-2), which first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, The disease has spread from large urban centers to the most remote regions of the planet, affecting traditional populations such as the indigenous peoples of the Brazilian Amazon. Indigenous populations are more susceptible to infectious diseases and live in poor health and sanitation conditions. We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study, with quantitative and secondary data, in addition to preparation of a geographical distribution map of Covid-9 cases in Indigenous Territory (IT) under the influence of the DSEI of Altamira-PA. During the investigated period, 417 cases were reported, 49% of which were women. One hundred and twenty cases (29%) were in children aged nine years and under and 23 cases (5%) in people over 60 years. The Trincheira Bakajá TI had the highest incidence per 10,000 inhabitants (342.88 cases per 10,000 inhab.), Followed by Cachoeira Seca(180.46), Volta Grande do Xingu area (128.58) and Paquiçamba (121.81). The mechanisms of dissemination of the new coronavirus in the villages are multifaceted, going through biological, cultural factors, agrarian conflicts, environmental devastation, migratory flows of Indians and non-Indians, requiring further investigations about these aspects.