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The following is a summary of “Evaluating COVID-19 impact, vaccination, birth registration, and underreporting in a predominantly indigenous population in Chiapas, Mexico,” published in the December 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Joaquin-Damas et al.
Indigenous populations in Mexico, like many other global Indigenous groups, face significant health disparities exacerbated by marginalization, discrimination, and limited access to healthcare, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality, vaccination access and uptake, and official birth registration in a predominantly Indigenous population in San Juan Chamula, Chiapas.
They performed an online survey of students from the Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado de Chiapas, gathering additional epidemiological and socio-demographic information (N = 107) and included 33 questions implemented via the Google Forms platform.
The results showed 14% of respondents reported COVID-19, whereas national dashboard data recorded only 212 confirmed cases and 1 death in Chamula between April 2021 and June 2023. Furthermore, 79.4% of respondents were unvaccinated, with communication barriers and a lack of information in Indigenous languages contributing to low vaccination uptake, while 5.6% of surveyed family members and 4.7% of community members lacked official birth certificates, which impeded access to basic services such as education, healthcare, and vaccinations.
Investigators concluded the underreporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Indigenous communities was due to inadequate diagnostic resources, highlighting the need for public health strategies that incorporate local languages, cultures, and knowledge systems.
Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-10156-y