Brazilian and Venezuelan Yanomami Indians are victims of measles

Yanomami children in Homoxi in Roraima attacks natives in Brazil yanomamis Brazilians and Venezuelans, said Saturday (14) the indigenous health department of northern Brazil, confirming the death of a baby and 67 cases at the border with Venezuela

] Of the total number of infected people, 60 are Venezuelan, said Manoel Pereira, technical director of the vaccination program of the Yanomami Special Sanitary District. The only death recorded is that of a nine-month-old Brazilian baby. Nine other cases are under study

" Venezuela lack of medical assistance, especially vaccination, a situation that has lasted for years. aid to Brazil, spreading the virus, "says Pereira

. The disease particularly attacks the indigenous Sanuma, a subgroup of the Yanomami ethnic group living in the border region. An estimated 3,873 indigenous people live in the area with the highest number of notifications.

Cases were recorded between March and June. There are 34 days without notification, but Pereira stresses that this does not mean that the situation is controlled. Brazilian health officials can not enter Venezuelan territory to offer medical support due to the breakdown of binational agreements for disputes between the governments of Nicolás Maduro and Michel Temer, said the spokesman, which complicates the situation. situation in Venezuela.

"It's not just measles, it's also the progression of other diseases like Malaria Leishmaniasis and Pneumonia ]He said.The Indians take days of long walks to Brazil to receive help, said Pereira. "They arrive in serious condition, they report that the situation [na Venezuela] is very complicated, they say that there is leishmaniasis, pneumonia, malaria, measles. "This outbreak could be catastrophic for the Yanomami," said Sarah Shenker, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley. "We urge the Venezuelan and Brazilian governments to provide urgent medical care to prevent further deaths and to protect Yanomami lands from invaders. This is the only way … to guarantee its survival. "

Brazil was certified in 2016 for the eradication of measles, but this year the disease has reappeared, the Ministry of Health has confirmed an epidemic in Amazonas and Roraima.On June 20, 463 cases (200 in Roraima including Indians and 263 in Amazonia) were confirmed.

In addition to baby Yanomami, regional authorities confirmed that three Venezuelans died of measles in Roraima on the Venezuelan border.

In laboratory studies, the strain of the virus found in Brazil is the same in circulation in Venezuela, a country that is suffering from a severe political and economic crisis with high food shortages, commodities and remedies.

Measles is a contagious disease, respiratory transmission caused by a virus, red spots on the skin, fever, cough and conjunctivitis are some of the symptoms.