Swine Flu Hits South American
Tribes
A
medical Doctor in the Tenondé Porã community, Sao
Paulo has confirmed that about eight people have
been contaminated with swine flu in the village of
Tenondé Porã, one of the last Guarani groups
situated in Sao Paulo, south-eastern Brazil.
He said the H1N1 virus has been circulating among
the 700 residents for the past two weeks and was
probably carried there by visitors.
Earlier this month, Peruvian authorities discovered
cases of swine flu in the Amazonian Machiguenga
tribe.
This generated concerns from the tribal rights
organization, Survival International, which drew
attention to tribal groups’ low immunity and extreme
vulnerability to foreign viral infections.
Panos/ Qasim/Austeen