In social networks there is false information about vaccines, which has caused fear. Indigenous organizations broadcast a campaign to motivate the population.
In culture ExtinctionIf someone is wrong, everyone is wrong. With this awareness the members of that community act. They work in mingas and, if someone needs help, everyone comes to their aid; or if someone gets sick, everyone visits and protects him. “That everybody He is very strong —reflects Arutam Antunish, a young man of that indigenous nationality—; if a person is not well, there is something that we are doing wrong or something is not working, and we cannot feel comfortable ”.
This idea is impregnated in radio advertisements that try to sensitize this population about the importance of vaccination against COVID-19. The message in Extinction dice: Iijiumatarum penker matsamsatai, which means ‘everyone get vaccinated to live healthy’. Several indigenous organizations are broadcasting this campaign among the communities of Morona Santiago, which has the lowest level of vaccination in the entire country.
Only 39% of its population has been vaccinated with the complete scheme, according to official figures from the Ministry of Public Health (MSP): 79,000 of the nearly 201,000 inhabitants of that province are inoculated. The gap with the rest of the provinces is large. They are followed by Pastaza with 47% and Cañar with 50%. While the most vaccinated provinces are Galapagos with 77% and Pichincha with 71%. Guayas registers 57%.
The situation in the interior of Morona Santiago is even more worrying. The canton with the lowest percentage of vaccination is Taisha, which barely reaches 5%, that is, only 1 in 20 people has completed the vaccination schedule. Tiwintza has 16% and Logroño 17%.
For the epidemiologist Marcelo Aguilar, this is something that should concern the entire country. “Unvaccinated populations are susceptible to acquiring COVID-19 and can spread transmission to other unvaccinated or low-immunity in neighboring areas,” he argued.
The low number of inoculations in this area of the country is explained by the misinformation that has revolved around the coronavirus and the myths that have developed in relation to the vaccine, said María Pillajo, representative of the National Immunization Strategy (ENI) in the districts of Limón Indanza and Tiwintza.
Among the most popular myths spread by social networks are, for example, that “vaccination would have been created so that the ethnic group Extinction be exterminated, or that even getting vaccinated could render men sterile, ”said Pillajo.
Arutam Antunish, who belongs to the Limón Indanza canton, said that his family and friends hesitate to get vaccinated. “My father always says that we don’t need to get vaccinated; here they believe they have more physical and biological strength to withstand this disease, “he said.
In this regard, the coordinator of Amazon Watch in Ecuador, Carlos Mazabanda, emphasized that the reluctance of the Amazonian indigenous communities towards the vaccine is due to the fact that the Government has not disseminated enough information, which in his opinion should be adapted to the indigenous culture.
“There are eleven indigenous nationalities in the Amazon, each with its own language; all culturally differentiated. Communication materials must be prepared in a sensitive manner so that these eleven nationalities can understand the importance of getting vaccinated, ”he explained.
Faced with this, the Confederation of Indigenous and Amazonian Nationalities of Ecuador (Confeniae), the Interprovincial Federation of Shuar Centers (Ficsh) and other organizations prepared the campaign that is broadcast on the radio.
In addition, several indigenous leaders have taken the post by getting vaccinated so that the rest of the population can also do it. Luis Nawech, president of Ficsh, is part of this process. He is optimistic. He says that people are losing their fear and that they are already getting vaccinated.
An arduous journey
In addition to the myths related to the vaccine, logistical problems make inoculation difficult in Morona Santiago. There are communities that can only be accessed by air or river, such as Taisha and Tiwintza, the cantons with the lowest percentage of vaccination.
For example, the journey to reach Tamanzta, one of the most remote communities in Taisha, is very arduous. Delis Santos, in charge of vaccination in that canton, said that they must travel by plane for about 20 minutes and then walk three hours through the jungle. As there is no budget for flights, staff must wait for help from the Pan American Health Organization to make that trip, said the official.
ENI specialist María Pillajo explained that in Tiwintza three strategies are applied: the first is to vaccinate people who voluntarily approach the health facility to receive their dose; the second is to inoculate in places with great affluence; and the third, visiting the villagers door to door.
A ‘new normal’
The MSP has reported few confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Morona Santiago. In the last month, 384 cases have been registered, while in the highest peak of the pandemic, in July of the previous year, 1,231 were registered.
In addition, the number of deaths registered in the Civil Registry is already at the same level as in the years prior to the pandemic. There is no excess mortality in Morona Santiago.
These figures suggest that the virus is controlled and that is seen in the daily life of the communities. Indigenous leader Luis Nawech says that masks are no longer used: “The activities are normal. As is our custom, we even take the girl in the same container. There is no fear here ”. (I)
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