Public Note #49 - Isolated people in Javari need urgent and adequate assistance

Base Ituí, in Vale do Javari (Javari Valley, in English), where there is the largest concentration of isolated Indigenous peoples in the world - Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari

The D. Paulo Evaristo Arns Commission for the Defense of Human Rights expresses its extreme concern over the situation of which it was informed, by a note from the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (União dos Povos Indígenas do Vale do Javari – Univaja, in Portuguese), on August 1st, 2022, and whose content was confirmed in detail. This is an Indigenous group that remains isolated in this region, with an unidentified language, who are visibly trying to communicate. They are shouting restlessly on the opposite bank of the Ituí river, which runs along the Marubo São Joaquim village.

Whether to report an invasion of their territory or for some other reason that made them seek contact, the group seems to be facing a situation that requires urgent and comprehensive action by the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI), with the assistance of the Special Secretariat Indigenous Health (SESAI).

The contact of isolated Indigenous people with the rest of Brazilians is extremely delicate and dangerous for this Indigenous population, which has no epidemiological barrier against our diseases, including the simplest ones, such as influenza. Without immediate and adequate vaccine protection, there is a risk of a succession of deaths in this population, which could even lead to its extinction.

It is urgent, we repeat, that Funai and Sesai send an expedition to the region with Indigenous experts and medical personnel, working within a specific and updated contingency plan for the Javari Valley region. We also request that the members of the medical team have previous experience with health protocols in situations of first contact with isolated Indigenous people.

The Arns Commission requests these measures with the utmost urgency and is already following the repercussions and development of the case.