Tribes often lack communication with the outside world and do not have the information to effectively deal with outbreaks. The Sentinelese are among the most vulnerable to outside pathogens due to their extreme isolation and lack of immunity to outside diseases Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Survival International Reduce contactĮven on the Indian mainland, tribal areas lack basic healthcare facilities and are extremely poor. Two years ago, a 26-year-old American missionary seeking to convert the nomadic hunter-gatherer Sentinelese tribe was reportedly killed after he visited the North Sentinel island. Poachers and trespassers can risk passing on the disease to the isolated tribes. "Of course, the uncontacted Sentinelese are always vulnerable to all outside diseases, given that they are the most isolated people on the planet and are unlikely to have immunity to any outside diseases," said Grig from Survival International. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which has a population of over 430,000, has so far reported over 3,300 COVID-19 cases, including over 50 deaths. Following the outbreak among indigenous tribes, authorities ramped up testing. Read more: Coronavirus: India's economy braces for lackluster recovery Medical teams are keeping a strict watch," India's tribal affairs minister, Arjun Munda, told DW. We are taking all measures for their safety. Indigenous tribes are among the groups most vulnerable to COVID-19 infection as they live in insulated, close-knit communities. "This is a particularly vulnerable tribal group. "Our team of healthcare officials traveled to the small strait island inhabited by the tribe, to conduct tests," he said. "The results revealed that four members of the tribe who had never left the island had contracted the virus as well."Īfter quarantining and receiving medication for two-weeks, the people have recovered. "They are not out of danger but entry to their islands is restricted and even if the tribe members choose to venture out they have to undergo tests periodically," said Roy. Read more: Positive indicators mask India's deepening coronavirus crisisĪvijit Roy, the coronavirus nodal officer for Andaman and Nicobar, told DW that six of the GAT COVID-19 cases had traveled to the territory's capital, Port Blair, for work. The Onge have around 120 and the Sentinelese 150. The Jarawa tribe numbers approximately 520. Only 238 members of the Shompen tribe remain. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Other tribes in troubleĪlong with the GAT, the indigenous tribes of Andaman and Nicobar include the Onges, Jarwas, Shompen and the dangerously reclusive Sentinelese. Tuberculosis is rife in the community and many suffer from the impact of heavy alcohol use," Grig said. Sexually transmitted diseases, mainly syphilis, have brought the GAT, which was once among the archipelago's main tribal groups, to near extinction. "Many members of the community suffer from long-term health conditions. The GAT numbered over 5,000 when the British colonized the archipelago in the 1850s. "There are only just over 50 Great Andamanese, so with 11 testing positive, already about 20% of the population has been affected by COVID-19," Sophie Grig, senior researcher at Survival International, a London-based tribal rights group, told DW. The GAT live on one of the 37 inhabited islands in India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, which consists of over 570 coral reef-fringed islands located 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) east of the Indian mainland where the Bay of Bengal meets the Andaman Sea. The isolated tribe's population is only around 50. "Despite knowing fully well about the illegality of the action and the hostile attitude of the Sentinelese tribesmen to the outsiders, these people collaborated with John Chau for this visit to North Sentinel Island without any permission from the authorities," Pathak said.In late August, 11 members of the Great Andamanese Tribe (GAT) tested positive for COVID-19. The men "actively facilitated" and accompanied him to the North Sentinel Island under the guise of a fishing activity to evade authorities, Pathak said. It appears that Chau reached the island with the help of "local friend" and electronics engineer named Alexander, a local water sports guide named Saw Remmis and five fishermen, Dependra Pathak, director of India’s Andaman & Nicobar Police, said in a statement. The seven fishermen who escorted Chau to the island, which is illegal to visit, have all been arrested, Singh said. The island is home to the indigenous Sentinelese people. John Chau, 27, was killed on North Sentinel Island, South Andaman Senior Superintendent of Police Vijay Singh told ABC News. An American man has been killed by a remote tribe after taking an illegal trip to one of the Andaman Islands in India.
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