Endangered tribes dwelling on the islands of Andaman & Nicobar will be on the verge of extinction if they get infected with COVID-19 by any external contact as there have been 10 cases so far on the island. Complete Coverage: Coronavirus
Crux of the Matter
A&N or N/A? Recently after the Tablighi Jamat gathering came to light, the number of coronavirus cases in India has been doubling at a rate of 4.1 days. The worst part of it is that because of it, Coronavirus has reached the remote islands of Andaman & Nicobar. So far there have been 10 cases on the remote islands, out of which 9 can be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat. The 9 Islamic preachers reached Port Blair on 24th March, when they were tested and found COVID-19 positive. The authorities are worried about the virus spreading outside of Port Blair to remote places of the islands.
The case in Andaman and Nicobar is very unique as these islands are home to five of the most endangered tribes of the world – Great Andamanese, Jarawas, Onge, Shompen, and the Sentinelese. Due to less or nearly no contact with the outside world, these tribes have very low resistive immune power to combat modern viruses. If proper measures are not taken, these tribes will be in danger of extinction.
In an extended scenario, if the virus spreads on the island then it will be very difficult to contain it. The 2018 incident of the killing of an American photographer and proselytiser by tribes of Andaman & Nicobar clearly gives a reminder that they don’t want anyone to interfere in their lives. Thus in case of any outbreak on these islands, it will be hard to reach out to them.
Does it Ring A Bell? If the situation slips out of hand, there may be extinction of native tribes in Andaman & Nicobar Islands because of COVID-19. It will be similar to the extermination of 20 million or nearly 95% of the native American population of Aztecs and Incas due to their no or low resistance immune power against virus transmitted from European conquistadors in the 16th century. In the recent past, a measles outbreak, a common disease in the modern world, proved deadly on the great Andamanese tribe and wiped out a significant chunk of the population.
Curiopedia
The Sentinelese are an uncontacted tribe living on North Sentinal Island, one of the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean and they are the most isolated tribe in the world.
They are often referred to as the world’s last ‘stone-age tribe’.
In the wake of the 2004 tsunami a member of the Sentinelese tribe was photographed firing arrows at a helicopter and in 2018 John Allen Chau, an American man, was killed by members of the Sentinelese tribe.
After first contacts with Europeans and Africans, some believe that the death of 90–95% of the native population of the New World was caused by Old World diseases. It is suspected that smallpox was the chief culprit and responsible for killing nearly all of the native inhabitants of the Americas.
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