In a life full of risks, COVID-19 makes little difference. Responses to COVID-19 among mobile migrants in gold mining areas in Suriname and French Guiana

Abstract

Worldwide, the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 disproportionally affect vulnerable groups in society. This paper assesses responses to, and impacts of, the pandemic among mobile migrant populations who work in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Suriname and French Guiana. These populations are characterized by poverty, informal or illegal status, and limited access to health care and information. Field research in Suriname (November 2020–January 2021) and French Guiana (January, May, June 2021) included qualitative interviews, informal conversations and observations, and a quantitative survey with 361 men and women in ASGM communities. Contrary to reports from the ASGM sector elsewhere, interviewed inhabitants of ASGM areas in Suriname and French Guiana showed little concern about COVID-19. Respondents reported feeling safer in the forest where they work than in the urban areas or in their home country. Trust in home remedies and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals further reduced anxiety about the pandemic. Three-quarters of survey respondents reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had not affected their work or income at all. The researchers conclude that in these remote Amazon communities, responses to COVID-19 mirror attitudes and behavior vis-à-vis malaria and other health risks: self-medicate, ignore, and pray. Living on the margins of society mitigates the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19, as containment measures are not applied to these socially invisible populations. Whereas the urban poor are severely hit by the pandemic, this hidden population benefits from high gold prices, an outdoors lifestyle, and traditional resourcefulness in dealing with a life full of risks.

Modeling the impact of Malakit intervention: one more step towards malaria elimination in the Guiana Shield?

“…Ninety percent of its land (85 000 km²) is covered by rainforest with a soil rich in golda geological characteristic shared by the countries of Guiana Shield. This gold is the reason for the continuous presence of an estimated population of 10 000 men and women on 500 to 700 illegal gold mining sites (9). The majority of gold miners are born in Brazil (>95%), 75% are men, with a median age of 38 (IQR: 31, 47), and less than half have a secondary level of education (5,8).…”

Vulnerabilidades para o adoecimento de mulheres em garimpos na fronteira do Escudo das Guianas

“…A migração pendular e desordenada, realizada intensamente, associada aos desafios que a floresta impõe para o acesso às equipes de saúde, a clandestinidade e o fato de tratar-se de pessoas invisíveis ao Estado, favorecem a rápida disseminação de doenças (4)(5)(6) . Os problemas de saúde em potencial incluem influenza A, malária, beribéri, distúrbios digestivos, leishmaniose, dermatites, verminoses, sífilis, Chikungunya, Dengue, Covid19, HIV/Aids e outras infecções, além de picadas de serpentes (1,(4)(5)(6) .…”

Vulnerabilities to illnesses in women living on the border of the Guiana Shield mines

“…Commuting and disorderly migration, which is intensely carried out, associated with the challenges that the forest imposes for access to health teams, clandestinity, and the fact that these are people invisible to the State, favor the rapid spread of diseases ( 4 – 6 ) . Potential health problems include influenza A, malaria, beriberi, digestive disorders, leishmaniasis, dermatitis, worm infestations, syphilis, Chikungunya, Dengue, Covid19, HIV/AIDS, and other infections, as well as snake bites ( 1 , 4 – 6 ) .…”