Measles outbreak causes death of dozens of members of an isolated Amazonian tribe and raises fears the 35,000-strong community could be wiped out
- Unconfirmed local reports state there are 14 Yanomami victims in Brazil
- The toll is ‘well into the double figures in Venezuela’, other reports state
- The outbreak is in the border region of the countries – where the tribe live
- Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads easily through the air
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Dozens of members of an isolated Amazonian tribe have died from measles after an outbreak swept through the spiritual community.
Local reports state there are 14 Yanomami victims in Brazil and ‘well into the double figures’ in Venezuela, where the 35,000-strong tribe reside.
Experts fear the outbreak in the border region of the two countries – where the tribe live – could ‘wipe out’ the Yanomami living in the world’s biggest rainforest.
Local reports state there are 14 Yanomami victims in Brazil and ‘well into the double figures’ in Venezuela, where the 35,000-strong tribe reside
Experts fear the outbreak in the border region of the two countries – where the tribe live – could ‘wipe out’ the Yanomami living in the world’s biggest rainforest
The Brazilian Health Ministry only confirmed the first death, a nine-month-old baby, last week, but tribal organisations are adamant the figure is much higher.
Health officials in the Brazil also declared 67 cases among Yanomami, of which 60 had arrived from over the Venezuelan border.
But Hutukara, a Yanomami organisation based in Brazil, claims at least 14 members of the tribe have died from measles.
Reports of deaths have now reached ‘well into double figures’ on the Venezuelan side of the border, Survival International said.
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Horonami, an organisation for the tribe in Venezuela, said measles has ‘affected several communities, causing several deaths, particularly among adults’.
It added: ‘This is a huge threat to our people. We have demanded that the authorities take the necessary action to protect the lives and health of the Yanomami people.’
However, Survival International, a campaign group for tribal people’s rights, has so far been unable to verify the reports from Venezuela conclusively.
Stephen Corry, director of Survival International, said earlier this month: ‘These tribes are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet.
The Brazilian Health Ministry only confirmed the first death, a nine-month-old baby, last week, but tribal organisations are adamant the figure is much higher
‘These tribes are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet,’ said Stephen Corry, director of Survival International, a campaign group for tribal people’s rights
‘Urgent medical care is the only thing standing between these communities and utter devastation.
‘When tribal people experience common diseases like measles or flu which they’ve never known before many of them die, and whole populations can be wiped out.’
Survival International said a measles outbreak among the Yanomami in the 1960s killed nearly 10 per cent of those infected.
The tribe are also under threat from thousands of gold-miners working illegally on their land, transmitting diseases and polluting the rivers and forest with mercury.
Almost 500 cases of measles have been confirmed this year in two Brazilian states that border Venezuela, Roraima and Amazonas.
The outbreak in Brazil, home to 207 million people, comes two years after the World Health Organization declared the Americas free of measles.
Officials fear the cases have been imported from Venezuela, where health services have collapsed and cases of measles have soared.
Survival International said a measles outbreak among the Yanomami in the 1960s killed nearly 10 per cent of those infected
Hundreds of thousands have fled the crisis-ridden South American nation as its economy has been left ruined.
More than 2,000 cases have been recorded in Venezuela since the infection began spreading last year, official figures show.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads easily through the air, by coughing, sneezing or even just breathing.
Symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat and a rash that spreads over the body. It can be life-threatening in one in 15 cases.
Brazilian health officials battling to contain the outbreak have offered vaccinations to both unprotected locals and refugees who register with the police.
Some 200 cases of measles have been confirmed in Roraima, and a further 263 in Amazonas. But hundreds more are being investigated.
It comes after Public Health England issued another warning for people to check they have had both doses of the MMR jab as the infection continues to spread.
Some 1,717 people have been diagnosed with the contagious infection in England this year, and there are large outbreaks across Europe.
There were more than 13,000 reported cases of measles on the continent in the year leading up to April, with the most in Italy, France, Greece and Romania.
PHE said it is important for travellers to make sure they are vaccinated because adults who catch measles are more likely to end up in hospital than children.
WHAT IS MEASLES, WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS AND HOW CAN YOU CATCH IT?
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads easily from an injected person by coughing, sneezing or even just breathing.
Symptoms develop between six and 19 days after infection, and include a runny nose, cough, sore eyes, a fever and a rash.
The rash appears as red and blotchy marks on the hairline that travel down over several days, turning brown and eventually fading.
Some children complain of disliking bright lights or develop white spots with red backgrounds on their tongue.
In one in 15 cases, measles can cause life-threatening complications including pneumonia, convulsions and encephalitis.
Dr Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society told MailOnline: ‘Measles can be very serious.
‘[It] can cause encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain.
‘Encephalitis can result in death or disability.’
Treatment focuses on staying hydrated, resting and taking painkillers, if necessary.
Measles can be prevented by receiving two vaccinations, the first at 13 months old and the second at three years and four months to five years old.
Source: Great Ormond Street Hospital
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