UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Barbara Previously Published Works Title Voluntary collective isolation as a best response to COVID-19 for indigenous populations? A case study and protocol from the Bolivian Amazon. Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/99b288w4 Journal Lancet (London, England), 395(10238) ISSN 0140-6736 Authors Kaplan, Hillard S Trumble, Benjamin C Stieglitz, Jonathan et al. Publication Date 2020-05-15 DOI 10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31104-1 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID- 19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active. Public Health Voluntary collective isolation as a best response to COVID-19 for indigenous populations? A case study and protocol from the Bolivian Amazon Hillard S Kaplan, Benjamin C Trumble, Jonathan Stieglitz, Roberta Mendez Mamany, Maguin Gutierrez Cayuba, Leonardina Maito Moye, Sarah Alami, Thomas Kraft, Raul Quispe Gutierrez, Juan Copajira Adrian, Randall C Thompson, Gregory S Thomas, David E Michalik, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Michael D Gurven Indigenous communities worldwide share common features that make them especially vulnerable to the Lancet 2020; 395: 1727–34 complications of and mortality from COVID-19. They also possess resilient attributes that can be leveraged to promote Published Online prevention efforts. How can indigenous communities best mitigate potential devastating effects of COVID-19? In May 15, 2020 Bolivia, where nearly half of all citizens claim indigenous origins, no specific guidelines have been outlined for https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(20)31104-1 indigenous communities inhabiting native communal territories. In this Public Health article, we describe For the Spanish translation see collaborative efforts, as anthropologists, physicians, tribal leaders, and local officials, to develop and implement a Online for appendix 1 multiphase COVID-19 prevention and containment plan focused on voluntary collective isolation and contact-tracing For the French translation see among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon. Phase 1 involves education, outreach, and Online for appendix 2 preparation, and phase 2 focuses on containment, patient management, and quarantine. Features of this plan might For the Portuguese translation be exported and adapted to local circumstances elsewhere to prevent widespread mortality in indigenous communities. see Online for appendix 3 Economic Science Institute, Introduction once bore witness to a large and sophisticated civilization Chapman University, Orange, The world’s 370 million indigenous people living in and was identified as one of the five major centres for CA, USA (Prof H S Kaplan PhD, R M Mamany); Tsimane Health over 90 countries make up around 5% of the global early plant domestication and the first to domesticate and Life History Project, population.1 Their lifeways, language, and culture have manioc and squash around 10 000 years ago.5 Despite the San Borja, Bolivia long been threatened by the many facets of colonialism fact that almost half of Bolivians are considered to be of (Prof H S Kaplan, and globalisation, and their livelihoods and lives are now indigenous origin, no specific guidelines have been B C Trumble PhD, J Stieglitz PhD, R M Mamany, S Alami MA, again at stake amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Severe outlined for remote indigenous groups inhabiting native T Kraft PhD, R Q Gutierrez MD, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) communal territories (Tierras Comunitarias de Origen). J C Adrian MD, D E Rodriguez MD, has caused COVID-19 in more than 200 countries and In this article, we first highlight general aspects of Prof M D Gurven PhD); School of territories, with the number of confirmed cases and indigenous populations relevant to the current COVID-19 Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution 2 deaths highest in the USA and Europe. Indigenous pandemic, then review our specific experience in a and Medicine, Arizona State communities worldwide share common characteristics collaborative effort to develop and implement a COVID-19 University, Tempe, AZ, USA that make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. prevention plan among Bolivian forager-horticulturalists (B C Trumble); Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Indigenous populations have higher rates of extreme of the Beni Department. Toulouse, France (J Stieglitz); poverty, morbidity, and mortality than do their non- Gran Consejo Tsimane, indigenous neighbours across the spectrum of low- Indigenous populations: vulnerabilities and San Borja, Bolivia (M G Cayuba); income to high-income countries.3 These conditions resilience Asemblea Legislativa Departamental, Trinidad, place indigenous people at high risk of complications Excess mortality from infectious disease has a long history Bolivia (L M Moye Lic); and death from COVID-19. Respiratory infections are among indigenous populations. Smallpox, measles, and Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart already a major source of morbidity and mortality in other imported diseases eliminated up to 80% of native Institute, Kansas City, MO, USA 6,7 (Prof R C Thompson MD); many indigenous populations in low-income countries. populations in the Americas following European contact. University of Missouri–Kansas As a stark indicator of what could potentially occur, the So far, COVID-19 has already heavily affected the Navajo City, Kansas City, MO, USA H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009 resulted in 3–6 times nation in the USA, with more deaths in the Navajo nation (Prof R C Thompson); higher mortality among indigenous people than among than in the rest of New Mexico, USA, which has a MemorialCare, Southern non-indigenous populations of the Americas and Pacific.4 population that is 13 times larger.8 At the same time, at California, USA (Prof G S Thomas MD); Division As of May 7, 2020, Bolivia had 2081 confirmed COVID-19 least seven indigenous individuals in the Brazilian of Cardiology, University of 9 cases and 102 deaths, largely confined to the Santa Cruz Amazon have tested positive and three have died, California, Irvine, CA, USA and La Paz provinces. The Bolivian Government’s national including a boy aged 15 years from the largest semi- (Prof G S Thomas); Miller response to COVID-19 began on March 12, 2020, and isolated tribe in South America, the Yanomami. This case Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach, CA, USA included border closure, suspension of interdepartmental illustrates the potential for COVID-19 to affect remote (D E Michalik DO); Division of and interprovince transport, and nationwide quarantine communities. The boy, experiencing flu-like symptoms, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, (Decrees 4196 and 4199). Testing has been restricted and travelled to the capital hospital of the distant Roraima University of California, Irvine, focused primarily in urban centres. The Beni Department, state, Brazil, for medical attention; however, his diagnosis CA, USA (D E Michalik); Institute of Biomedical Research, Faculty Bolivia, home to over 18 indigenous populations, is mostly was delayed. Previous respiratory complications common of Medicine, San Simon rural with its first confirmed case of COVID-19 reported among the Yanomami and other indigenous populations University, Cochabamba, on April 20, 2020. This lowland forest and savanna region (eg, pulmonary tuberculosis or acute lower respiratory Bolivia (D E Rodriguez); and www.thelancet.com Vol 395 May 30, 2020 1727 Public Health Department of Anthropology, tract infections)10 can increase risk of death for patients For example, illegal gold mining is believed to have been University of California, with COVID-19. Teenagers in industrialised countries responsible for many Yanomami deaths related to Santa Barbara CA, USA (S Alami, have otherwise exhibited minimal risk of death from infection in northern Brazil and Venezuela since the T Kraft, Prof M D Gurven) COVID-19.11 1980s, including fatal measles and malaria infections as Correspondence to: 15,16 Prof Hilliard S Kaplan, Economic Indigenous populations have unique susceptibility to recently as 2019. Yanomami leaders now allege that Science Institute, Chapman COVID-19 for several reasons. In addition to respiratory their first COVID-19 fatality was due to exposure to University, Orange 92866, CA, and other health conditions increasing the risk of infected gold miners.9 Illegal resource extraction might USA COVID-19 mortality, indigenous communities often also be increasing during the pandemic because of [email protected] have minimal access to clean water, soap, personal decreased government surveillance and enforcement, or 12 protective equipment (PPE), and public sanitation. resulting in even greater exploitation of indigenous Prof Michael D Gurven, Department of Anthropology, Local medical services are underfunded