Doctors Without Borders In New Mexico To Aid Tribes

Above, the Iyanbito Chapter House of the Navajo Nation. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Native Americans in New Mexico have been hit hard by the coronavirus.

Much of the problem is due to the lifestyle of the tribe members where several people crowd into small dwellings, thereby passing on the virus to each other along with other factors (poor to non-existent water systems, sparse health facilities, and the government's long history of deprioritizing investment in Native communities and broken promises, just to name a few). Traditional gathering of tribe members is working against the Navajos in particular.

However, Doctors Without Borders have been attending to the Native American communities.

According to The Hill:

Two teams from Doctors Without Borders are working with Native American communities in New Mexico to help with the coronavirus outbreak in the region.

Also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in French, the organization told CNN one team arrived in mid-April north of Albuquerque, where they are assisting the Pueblos. Another arrived late April in Gallup, where they are working with the Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the United States. Both teams plan on staying until June.

"At the moment, MSF is focusing on providing technical guidance to health care facilities and communities with infection prevention and control. We are also actively engaged with community leaders and other actors to increase access for communities to health promotion and practical education," Jean Stowell, who heads the organization's US Covid-19 response team, told CNN.  

Almost one-third of New Mexicans who contracted COVID-19 were Native American as of April 12, according to one report, in a state where they make up about 11 percent of the population. The Navajo Nation has reported 3,122 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 11, more per capita than any other state in the United States. Some tribes have taken drastic measures, closing their borders and adopting strict self-isolation measures to keep the virus out of their communities. 

As Gallup is right next to the Navajo Nation, with much of the Navajo Nation is in McKinley County, it is no surprise that the numbers of COVID-19 cases are so high.

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