A health crisis is deepening for Peru’s Matsés Indigenous community due to drought, disease, and state neglect. The drought, linked to climate change, has lowered river levels, hindering transportation and access to healthcare.
This is exacerbating outbreaks of malaria and hepatitis B, which spread rapidly among a population with limited immunological defenses. The Matsés, who first had official contact with outsiders in 1969, were exposed to infectious diseases following this contact. Now, the inability of healthcare workers to reach remote villages and for sick individuals to reach medical care is creating a severe health emergency.
Source: Mongabay