Abstract
BackgroundThe emergence of the new causative agent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the city of Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and its spread worldwide, led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic. The disease has caused high mortality among traditional populations and the most socially vulnerable groups such indigenous and refugees. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the population of Venezuelan indigenous Warao refugees residing in private and public shelters in the city of Belem, capital of Para State, in the Brazilian Amazon.MethodsOne hundred one individuals of both sexes (43 men and 58 women) with ages varying from 18 to 77 years (average of 36 years) were investigated. Whole blood samples were collected and subsequently separated into plasma and leukocytes. Serological analysis was performed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - ELISA (Anti-SARS-COV-2 S1 IgG, EUROIMMUN, USA).ResultsThe results indicate a positive serum prevalence of 83.2% (84), of which 77.6% (45/58) were females and 90.7% (39/43) were males. An indeterminate profile was observed in 6.9% (7), where it was not possible to confirm the presence of antibodies, and 9.9% (10) individuals were negative for IgG antibodies.ConclusionsThe finding of the high seroprevalence of IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies reveals a high exposure of the Warao population in Belem to infection with the new coronavirus. These results underscore the importance of maintaining epidemiological surveillance with testing in traditional populations due to the high possibility of spreading the virus, especially among the most socioeconomically vulnerable groups, which depend exclusively on the Unified Health System (SUS), such as refugees and indigenous people.
Highlights
The emergence of the new causative agent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the city of Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and its spread worldwide, led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic
Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Of the 171 people living in the three main places of residence of the Warao in Belém, a total of 101 adult individuals agreed to participate in the study and were tested
The results show, for the first time in Brazil, the high level of exposure of the Warao population to infection by the SARS-CoV-2, demonstrated by a high prevalence of IgG antibodies, despite the fact that most individuals reported social distancing, wearing a cloth mask, and keeping isolation during the pandemic or even claiming to have been at home the entire time
Summary
The emergence of the new causative agent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the city of Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and its spread worldwide, led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic. The disease has caused high mortality among traditional populations and the most socially vulnerable groups such indigenous and refugees. Due to the growing number of cases, the collapse of the health system in several states, and the concern with the most vulnerable populations, such as indigenous peoples, quilombola groups (traditional communities formed by descendants of runaway slaves in Brazil), and refugees, the continuous seroepidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 is extremely important, since the spread of the virus can happen more quickly, and be more lethal among them [7,8,9]
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