Zeitschrift für Infektionskrankheiten und Diagnose

Abstrakt

Aspects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an Indigenous Pataxo Community of Southernmost Bahia, Northeast Brazil

Luciano Rodrigues Reis, Maria Helena Féres Saad*

Background and objectives: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 caused the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. In Brazil, data remain limited in vulnerable populations, including indigenous people. We investigated epidemiological, demographic, and clinical aspects of COVID-19 in the Pataxó lands of the municipalities of Porto Seguro (PS) and Santa Cruz Cabrália (SCC), southernmost Bahia, Brazil, during the first 499 days of transmission.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional observational epidemiological study on the clinical, demographic and epidemiological aspects of COVID-19 in the indigenous population of Pataxó ethnicity, resident in the municipalities of Porto Seguro (PS) and Santa Cruz Cabrália (SCC), southernmost Bahia, Brazil, conducted between May 22, 2020, and October 2, 2021.

Results: There were 655 COVID-19 cases, most in 2020 (67.79%, n=444), with an overall incidence rate of 6,575.6/100,000 inhabitants. Female sex (>58.4%) was a risk factor for COVID-19 ( χ²=24.682; df=1; P<0.001). The acceleration of new cases revealed a bimodal variation with a second peak on day 491 (epidemiological week 39/2021), greater than the first wave (0.131168 and 0.106299 new cases/day). The two municipalities showed no significant difference in severe outcomes (P=0.444); however, threefold higher mortality occurred in SCC (SCC 134.9/100,000 inhabitants and PS 36.3/100,000 inhabitants). Pataxó children (≤ 9 years) had a lower prevalence of acute symptoms (P<0.001), essentially low-grade fever (67.3%). Comorbidities were significantly associated with older age (48%).

Conclusion: These findings expose the gravity of COVID-19 in the Pataxó communities and may help better address the healthcare needs of this neglected population.