Communities In Peru Research Articles

Improving household air, drinking water and hygiene in rural Peru: a community-randomized-controlled trial of an integrated environmental home-based intervention package to improve child health.

Background: Diarrhoea and acute lower respiratory infections are leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality, which can be prevented by simple low-cost interventions. Integrated strategies can provide additional benefits by addressing multiple health burdens simultaneously. Methods: We conducted a community-randomized–controlled trial in 51 rural communities in Peru to evaluate whether an environmental home-based intervention package, consisting of improved solid-fuel stoves, kitchen sinks, solar disinfection of drinking water and hygiene promotion, reduces lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal disease and improves growth in children younger than 36 months. The attention control group received an early child stimulation programme. Results: We recorded 24 647 child-days of observation from 250 households in the intervention and 253 in the attention control group during 12-month follow-up. Mean diarrhoea incidence was 2.8 episodes per child-year in the intervention compared with 3.1 episodes in the control arm. This corresponds to a relative rate of 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58–1.05] for diarrhoea incidence and an odds ratio of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.47–1.06) for diarrhoea prevalence. No effects on acute lower respiratory infections or children’s growth rates were observed. Conclusions: Combined home-based environmental interventions slightly reduced childhood diarrhoea, but the confidence interval included unity. Effects on growth and respiratory outcomes were not observed, despite high user compliance of the interventions. The absent effect on respiratory health might be due to insufficient household air quality improvements of the improved stoves and additional time needed to achieve attitudinal and behaviour change when providing composite interventions.

The economic effects of supporting tuberculosis-affected households in Peru.

The End TB Strategy mandates that no tuberculosis (TB)-affected households face catastrophic costs due to TB. However, evidence is limited to evaluate socioeconomic support to achieve this change in policy and practice. The objective of the present study was to investigate the economic effects of a TB-specific socioeconomic intervention.The setting was 32 shantytown communities in Peru. The participants were from households of consecutive TB patients throughout TB treatment administered by the national TB programme. The intervention consisted of social support through household visits and community meetings, and economic support through cash transfers conditional upon TB screening in household contacts, adhering to TB treatment/chemoprophylaxis and engaging with social support. Data were collected to assess TB-affected household costs. Patient interviews were conducted at treatment initiation and then monthly for 6 months.From February 2014 to June 2015, 312 households were recruited, of which 135 were randomised to receive the intervention. Cash transfer total value averaged US$173 (3.5% of TB-affected households' average annual income) and mitigated 20% of households' TB-related costs. Households randomised to receive the intervention were less likely to incur catastrophic costs (30% (95% CI 22–38%) versus 42% (95% CI 34–51%)). The mitigation impact was higher among poorer households.The TB-specific socioeconomic intervention reduced catastrophic costs and was accessible to poorer households. Socioeconomic support and mitigating catastrophic costs are integral to the End TB strategy, and our findings inform implementation of these new policies.

An Indigenous Research Narrative: Ethics and Protocols Over Time and Space

This narrative begins in 1950, a conversation between Sam Jim, an Indigenous Elder in British Columbia (BC), and a university professor researching Sam’s community. Sam troubles the privileging of Western thinking, knowledge, values, and practices. The story fast-forwards to a contemporary research partnership between an Indigenous researcher, the same BC Indigenous community and an Indigenous community in Peru. Each community faces different struggles in protecting their lands from resource extraction and in regenerating traditional ecological knowledges for future generations. They meet these challenges by reviving their traditional knowledges and practices, including human and more-than-human interrelationships and interdependencies. The communities have different cosmologies, histories, geographies, languages, economies, and socio-political contexts. This requires research methodologies and methods that acknowledge the challenges and opportunities of working across different contexts toward more compl...

Lóxoro, traces of a contemporary Peruvian genderlect

Not long after the premiere of Loxoro in 2011, a short-film by Claudia Llosa which presents the problems the transgender community faces in the capital of Peru, a new language variety became visible for the first time to the Lima society. Lóxoro [‘lok.so.ɾo] or Húngaro [‘uŋ.ga.ɾo], as its speakers call it, is a language spoken by transsexuals and the gay community of Peru. The first clues about its existence were given by a comedian, Fernando Armas, in the mid 90’s, however it is said to have appeared not before the 60’s. Following some previous work on gay languages by Baker (2002) and languages and society (cf. Halliday 1978), the main aim of the present article is to provide a primary sketch of this language in its phonological, morphological, lexical and sociological aspects, based on a small corpus extracted from the film of Llosa and natural dialogues from Peruvian TV-journals, in order to classify this variety within modern sociolinguistic models (cf. Muysken 2010) and argue for the “anti-language” (cf. Halliday 1978) nature of it.

The Local Impact of Mining on Poverty and Inequality: Evidence from the Commodity Boom in Peru

Summary This paper studies the impact of mining activity on socioeconomic outcomes in local communities in Peru. In the 1990s and 2000s, the value of Peruvian mining exports grew by 15 times; and since the early 2000s, one-half of fiscal revenues from mining have been devolved to local governments. Has this boom benefitted people in local communities? Using the district-level “poverty map” of 2007 (the latest available with accurate data on consumption, poverty, and inequality) together with district-level data on mining production and fiscal transfers to local governments, we present some evidence to answer this question. We find that mining districts have larger average consumption per capita and lower poverty rates than otherwise similar districts. These positive impacts, however, decrease drastically with administrative and geographic distance from mining centers. Moreover, consumption inequality within mining districts is higher than in comparable nonproducing districts. This dual effect of mining is accounted for by, first, the better educated immigrants required and attracted by mining activity and, second, the jobs that some community natives obtain in industries and services related to mining. The inequalizing impact of mining, both across and within districts, may help explain the social discontent with mining in Peru, despite its enormous revenues. An area for future research highlighted in the paper regards the usefulness of fiscal transfers to local governments (the Mining Canon ), a key component of the fiscal decentralization reform of 2002. We find neither a detrimental nor a beneficial effect from the Mining Canon in Peru. Whether this is explained by our early measurement of results (5 years into the decentralization program) or by the lack of implementation capacity of local governments remains to be answered.

Etiological Role and Repeated Infections of Sapovirus among Children Aged Less than 2 Years in a Cohort Study in a Peri-urban Community of Peru.

Human sapovirus has been shown to be one of the most important etiologies in pediatric patients with acute diarrhea. However, very limited data are available about the causative roles and epidemiology of sapovirus in community settings. A nested matched case-control study within a birth cohort study of acute diarrhea in a peri-urban community in Peru from 2007 to 2010 was conducted to investigate the attributable fraction (AF) and genetic diversity of sapovirus. By quantitative reverse transcription-real-time PCR (qPCR) sapovirus was detected in 12.4% (37/299) of diarrheal and 5.7% (17/300) of nondiarrheal stools (P = 0.004). The sapovirus AF (7.1%) was higher in the second year (13.2%) than in the first year (1.4%) of life of children. Ten known genotypes and one novel cluster (n = 5) within four genogroups (GI, GII, GIV, and GV) were identified by phylogenetic analysis of a partial VP1 gene. Further sequence analysis of the full VP1 gene revealed a possible novel genotype, tentatively named GII.8. Notably, symptomatic reinfections with different genotypes within the same (n = 3) or different (n = 5) genogroups were observed in eight children. Sapovirus exhibited a high attributable burden for acute gastroenteritis, especially in the second year of life, of children in a Peruvian community. Further large-scale studies are needed to understand better the global burden, genetic diversity, and repeated infections of sapovirus.

An Outbreak of Bartonella bacilliformis in an Endemic Andean Community.

BackgroundBartonellosis affects small Andean communities in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Research in this area has been limited.MethodsRetrospective review of 191 cases of bartonellosis managed in Caraz District Hospital, Peru, during the last outbreak (2003).ResultsThe majority of cases (65%) were 14 years old and younger. There was a peak in acute cases after the rainy season; chronic cases presented more constantly throughout the year. The sensitivity of blood smear against blood culture in acute disease was 25%. The most commonly used treatment for chronic disease was rifampicin; chloramphenicol was used to treat most acute cases. Complications arose in 6.8% and there were no deaths.ConclusionsDiagnostic and treatment algorithms for acute and chronic bartonellosis have been developed without a strong evidence base. Preparation of ready-to-go operational research protocols for future outbreaks would strengthen the evidence base for diagnostic and treatment strategies and enhance opportunities for control.

Christian Base Communities in Peru: Lessons for North America

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>This research hopes to bridge the gap between the churches of North and South America by advocating for Christian base communities (CEBs) in North America. It is necessary to look at Catholic Action in conjunction with Catholic social thought, as well as the Second Vatican Council. Finally, personal interviews with those involved with CEBs in two districts of Lima, Peru – Villa El Salvador and El Agustino, revealed there is a failure of CEBs to develop in those two respective areas. Despite the failure of CEBs to develop in those areas, CEBs are relevant to North America as they can contribute lessons for parishes in the U.S. The Catholicism in CEBs in Peru is not prevalent in North America because the standard is to focus on individual spirituality and there is a lack of emphasis on social Catholicism. </span></p></div></div></div>

Species composition and phytosociology of xerophytic plant communities after extreme rainfall in South Peru

We present a phytosociological overview of the arid and semi-arid montane vegetation of the province of Arequipa in southern Peru. The xerophytic vegetation was studied after extreme rainfall had promoted exceptionally lush vegetation and a high aboveground floristic diversity. We used TWINSPAN for classification and Detrended Correspondence Analysis for gradient analysis of our releves. PC-ORD was used to show the hierarchical similarity structure of the syntaxa, and to compare them with related communities in Peru and surrounding countries from literature. We present a synoptic table, and describe the physiognomy, floristic composition, ecology and spatial distribution of the plant communities. In total, we recorded 187 plant species, including 50 endemics, in 196 phytosociological releves distributed over 2030 km2 at an elevation between 2020 and 3260 m a. s. l. The releves were assigned to three alliances in the class Opuntietea sphaericae. The vegetation consists mainly of native species of trees, shrubs, grasses, succulents, annual herbs, and ferns. The most diverse families were Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Solanaceae, Malvaceae, Boraginaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Amaranthaceae and Pteridaceae. Within the class Opuntietea sphaericae, three alliances have been distinguished of which two are new. The Ambrosio artemisioidis-Weberbauerocerion weberbaueri comprising six associations was recorded on barren hillsides between 2000 and 2900 m a. s. l. in the Arequipa city boundary zones. The Corryocaction brevistyli defines xerophytic scrub between 2700 and 3200 m a. s. l. in semi-dry regions bordering the puna grasslands. It contains the Balbisio weberbaueri-Ambrosietum artemisioidis and the Aloysio spathulatae-Corryocactetum brevistyli, all in need of further investigation as they lack diagnostic species. A unit clearly distinguished by Weberbauerocereus rauhii and Neoraimondia arequipensis is here described as a new alliance, Neoraimondio arequipensis-Weberbauerocerion rauhii. It grows in inter-Andean valleys in dry regions (1100- 2200 m a. s. l.), with abundant cacti accompanied by few xerophytes.

Women’s Participation in a Postconflict Community in Peru

The impact of the internal armed conflict in Peru (1980–2000) was felt in many regions in this South American country, and especially in rural regions such as the Southern Andean province of Cotabambas in the Apurímac department. This article describes and analyzes the actions and results of a community mental health project in this area that aimed to address the conflict’s aftermath. The intervention used participatory strategies to identify the communities’ prioritized problems, established actions appropriate to the cultural characteristics of the population, and implemented creative and recreational initiatives that responded to communities’ needs. Based on democratic dialogue, horizontal relations, and reciprocity, the targeted communities became protagonists in the process of psychosocial transformation that fostered individual and collective exercise of rights, individual human development, and democratic community building.

“The language is race and patriotism”: New schools and new Sino-Peruvian press in Peru ——The debate on education of Chinese and Mixed-blood 1931–2015

Abstract Attempts to establish a college allowing the children of the Chinese community in Peru to learn and speak Chinese and be raised according to the Chinese cultural traditions began in 1886 (Lausent-Herrera 2015). These attempts coming from Chinese institutions as Beneficencia China (Chinese Benevolent Association) as well as the Catholic Church had relatively little success. Travelling to China and private tuition were for a long time the only ways to preserve the Chinese identity and the use of the language. In the 1920s the community became wealthier and politicized, the education issue was at the center of social life and became the subject of a political debate. It felt urgent to take control of the Chinese and mixed-blood youth by creating colleges that would be devoted to them. At the same time, awakened by the seriousness of the political situation in China and by the increase of anti-Asiatic sentiment in Peru, the Sino-Peruvian community realized that its future was at stake. The schools were founded while the most politicized of the Chinese and Tusan (Tusheng) Tusan or Tusheng are children born in Peru from Chinese parents and soon/daughter of a Chinese father and a Peruvian mother (see Lausent-Herrera 2009). intellectuals tried to impose their ideas on education and on the future of the society in general. Two new magazines A third magazine was created during this period, La Voz del Oriente, founded in 1933 by Jaime Pun and Guillermo de Brito (MRE, 1/1/1933, arch. 91, 3ra gaveta). The first issues of this magazine, focused mainly on the commercial activities of the Chinese community, cannot be found. We do not know, therefore if they took part in the debates at that time. animated the debate: Oriental and New Chung Wa, and three schools, El Centro de Cultura, the Chung Wha, called the Colegio Chino of the Beneficencia and the San Min, known as the Progreso, an emanation of the Guomindang, were at the centre of the controversy which would affect the future of the Chinese community in Peru.

Microfinance for ecosystem-based adaptation (MEbA) in Peru and Colombia

The consequences of extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods pose an increasing threat to the rural and peri-urban communities of Peru and Colombia. Although these communities have already taken measures to adapt to these adverse effects under the scenario of extreme climate change, the need to effectively diffuse and transmit information and knowledge regarding climate change and climate change resilience persists. The execution of investments in ecosystem-based adaptation activities aims to improve the communities’ resilience to these threats and to ensure the sustainability of ecosystem services on which these communities depend. The Microfinance for Ecosystem-based-Adaptation to Climate Change (MEbA) project was conceived in 2012 to promote and support the introduction of specific (micro) financial products and services. The main pillars of the project are: 1) assistance in the development and implementation of new financial products and services tailored to rural populations that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change (e.g. small agricultural producers and other local actors of the North Andean Region); 2) provision of customized capacity building to microfinance institutions (MFIs); and 3) awareness raising, carrying out training activities which address identified knowledge gaps, and meeting MFI client needs to increase climate change resilience with a focus on Ecosystem-based Adaptation via partnerships with key local technical actors. The focus of this paper is to present the MEbA project in detail, and to explore the role of MFIs with regard to adaptation to climate change and the link between ecosystems and adaptation to climate change.

Clostridium amazonense sp. nov. an obliqately anaerobic bacterium isolated from a remote Amazonian community in Peru

A strictly anaerobic Gram-stain positive, spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium designated NE08VT, was isolated from a fecal sample of an individual residing in a remote Amazonian community in Peru. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed the organism belonged to the genus Clostridium and is most closely related to Clostridium vulturis (97.4% sequence similarity) and was further characterized using biochemical and chemotaxonomic methods. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso C13:0 and C16:0 with a genomic DNA G + C content of 31.6 mol%. Fermentation products during growth with PYG were acetate and butyrate. Based on phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic information, strain NE08V was identified as representing a novel species of the genus Clostridium, for which the name Clostridium amazonense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NE08VT (DSM 23598T = CCUG 59712T).

Incidence and Risk Factors for Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Human Metapneumovirus Infections among Children in the Remote Highlands of Peru.

IntroductionThe disease burden and risk factors for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (MPV) infections among children living in remote, rural areas remain unclear.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a prospective, household-based cohort study of children aged <3 years living in remote rural highland communities in San Marcos, Cajamarca, Peru. Acute respiratory illnesses (ARI), including lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), were monitored through weekly household visits from March 2009 through September 2011. Nasal swabs collected during ARI/LRTI were tested for RSV, MPV, and other respiratory viruses using real-time RT-PCR. Incidence rates and rate ratios were calculated using mixed effects Poisson regression.ResultsAmong 892 enrolled children, incidence rates of RSV and MPV ARI were 30 and 17 episodes per 100 child-years, respectively. The proportions of RSV and MPV ARI that presented as LRTI were 12.5% and 8.9%, respectively. Clinic visits for ARI and hospitalizations were significantly more frequent (all p values <0.05) among children with RSV (clinic 41% and hospital 5.3%) and MPV ARI (38% and 3.5%) when compared with other viral infections (23% and 0.7%) and infections without virus detected (24% and 0.6%). In multivariable analysis, risk factors for RSV detection included younger age (RR 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.03), the presence of a smoker in the house (RR 1.63, 95% CI: 1.12-2.38), residing at higher altitudes (RR 1.93, 95% CI: 1.25-3.00 for 2nd compared to 1st quartile residents; RR 1.98, 95% CI: 1.26-3.13 for 3rd compared to 1st quartile residents). Having an unemployed household head was significantly associated with MPV risk (RR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.12-4.01).ConclusionIn rural high altitude communities in Peru, childhood ARI due to RSV or MPV were common and associated with higher morbidity than ARI due to other viruses or with no viral detections. The risk factors identified in this study may be considered for interventional studies to control infections by these viruses among young children from developing countries.

Drug or spirituality seekers? Consuming ayahuasca

‘‘Ayahuasca’’ refers to a hallucinogenic beverage, commonly known as ayahuasca tea, consumed byindigenous communities in Peru and Ecuador (Tupper, 2008). Ayahuasca tourism generally involvesan ‘‘ayahuascero’’ or ‘‘shaman’’ led ceremonies and rituals in which tourists drink the hallucinogenictea with the intent of healing psychological and physiological problems (Winkelman, 2001). Whileseveral studies examine contemporary issues surrounding ayahuasca from shamans’ perspectives(Dobkin de Rios, 2005; Holman, 2011), tourists’ perspectives are lacking (Winkelman, 2005).Depending on positionality and self-identification of tourism roles, ayahuasca is usually portrayedas a spiritual experience that leads to greater self-understanding (Krippner & Sulla, 2000) or a form ofdrug tourism (Dobkin de Rios, 1994). With few exceptions (e.g. Belhassen, Santos, & Uriely, 2007;Uriely & Belhassen, 2005), previous studies on drug tourism fail to acknowledge that ‘‘drug relatedtourist experiences might involve a quest for profound and meaningful experiences’’ (Uriely B Winkelman, 2005). Clinical research shows that participants often report

Speaking Chinese: A major Challenge in the Construction of Identity and the Preservation of the Peruvian Chinese Community (1870–1930)

Abstract The arrival of around 100,000 Chinese male workers, in Peru between 1849 and 1874 as indentured labor created particularly difficult conditions for the emergence and development of a Chinese community. Arriving without women, the majority of the Chinese founded families in Peru. To conserve a blood link with their Chinese identity, many sought to marry young mixed blood Chinese-Peruvian girls. However, to make up a Chinese community, a Chinese education was considered essential for the transmission and preservation of cultural values and language. There were several attempts to create a Chinese school for the children of the Emperor’s subjects, first by the church in 1882 and later by Chinese officials as early as 1885, following the model of San Francisco and Havana. This article examines the historical development between 1870 and 1930 of the efforts the Chinese community in Peru made in setting up Chinese language education and community associations and the institutions that supported the development.

Subsistence strategies in traditional societies distinguish gut microbiomes.

Recent studies suggest that gut microbiomes of urban-industrialized societies are different from those of traditional peoples. Here we examine the relationship between lifeways and gut microbiota through taxonomic and functional potential characterization of faecal samples from hunter-gatherer and traditional agriculturalist communities in Peru and an urban-industrialized community from the US. We find that in addition to taxonomic and metabolic differences between urban and traditional lifestyles, hunter-gatherers form a distinct sub-group among traditional peoples. As observed in previous studies, we find that Treponema are characteristic of traditional gut microbiomes. Moreover, through genome reconstruction (2.2–2.5 MB, coverage depth × 26–513) and functional potential characterization, we discover these Treponema are diverse, fall outside of pathogenic clades and are similar to Treponema succinifaciens, a known carbohydrate metabolizer in swine. Gut Treponema are found in non-human primates and all traditional peoples studied to date, suggesting they are symbionts lost in urban-industrialized societies.

An ethnography of the standardization reform: A case of policy-making in the context of the Upper Perené Arawak community of Peru

AbstractThis study offers an on-the-ground perspective on the multi-layered process of the Ashéninka and Asháninka state-initiated standardization reform, with the Upper Perené Ashéninka of Peru being a case in point. The reform is carried out in the context of the dramatic decline in the Ashéninka Perené language use due to the community-wide shift to the national language, Spanish. Presented within the ethnographic framework, the analysis focuses on the community’s own view of the national language policy, revealed in the speakers’ language allegiances and attitudes to its own language and literacy, and that of the competing Tambo Asháninka variety, chosen by the government actors to be the written standard. On the basis of a comprehensive video and audio corpus, the ethnography considers conflictive discursive histories of the policy-makers including those of language consultants, bilingual teachers, tribal and political leadership and educational policy agents. The on-the-ground implementation of the standardization reform is supported by the younger generation of speakers who generally have a passive knowledge of the Upper Perené language. Older policy-makers, organized into a language consultant team, have launched resistance projects including the production of Upper Perené books and dictionaries which use the language community’s own spelling conventions.

Interpretive Research Aiming at Theory Building: Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design

Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The author reflects upon his experience in conducting research on the articulation of both traditional social networks and new virtual networks in six rural communities in Peru, using both case study design and grounded theory in a combined fashion in order to discover an emergent theory.

Ezakiella peruensis gen. nov., sp. nov. isolated from human fecal sample from a coastal traditional community in Peru

A novel Gram-stain positive, non-motile, non-sporeforming coccus-shaped, obligately anaerobic bacterium was isolated from a fecal sample of an individual residing in a traditional Peruvian community. The organism was characterized using biochemical, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic methods. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses and phenotypic characteristics demonstrated that the organism was biochemically and phenotypically related, but distinct, from a group of organisms referred to as the Gram-stain positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC). The major cellular fatty acids of the novel isolate were determined to be C16:0 (18.3%), C18:1ω9c (39.8%), C18:2ω6,9c/C18:0 ANTE (13.2%). Fermentation end products from PYG are acetate and formate. Cell-wall peptidoglycan was found to be A4α (L-Lys-L-Ala-L-Glu) and the G + C content was determined to be 38.4 mol%. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic results, Ezakiella peruensis gen. nov., sp. nov., is now proposed. The type strain is M6.X2T (DSM 27367T = NBRC 109957 T = CCUG 64571T).