The last report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows the limited margin we have to adapt to rising global temperature. The last four decades have been the warmest. Peru has been identified as a very vulnerable territory to the effects of climate change. The South American nation has experienced higher temperatures and retrenching glaciers, extreme climatic events, sliding crop yields, pests, floods in the Amazon basin and losses in its marine ecosystem. In addition, persistent inequity in Peru translates into uneven impacts, especially on populations that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and are most susceptible to such adverse events. The negative effects on health can be direct due to extreme heat, or indirect due to increased exposure to forest fires, the migration of populations resulting from these events, or the transmission of certain di...

The tropical Andes, comprising the Madre de Dios region, are a hotspot for biodiversity conservation. Recent development of the area through paving of the interoceanic highway (IOH) resulted in anthropogenic impacts in the region. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of emerging pathogens of public and animal health importance such as Paramyxoviruses among bats trapped along areas of IOH with different ecological impacts. Samples from six study sites along the IOH were collected from October 2009 to October 2010: three highly disturbed areas and three areas with low disturbance. A site located at the Tambopata National Reserve was selected as an undisturbed environment for control. Bat spleens were tested for Paramyxoviruses by nested PCR targeting the conserved motifs of the polymerase gene. A total of 436 bats from 24 different genera were captured, of which 45 (10.32%; CI 95%: ...

Los Andes tropicales que comprende la región de Madre de Dios, Perú, es considerada una zona de conservación para la biodiversidad; sin embargo, el reciente desarrollo de la zona a través de la pavimentación de la carretera interoceánica (CIO) ha ocasionado un impacto antropogénico en la región. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar la prevalencia de paramixovirus, patógenos emergentes de importancia para la salud pública y animal, en murciélagos capturados a lo largo de los tramos de la CIO sujetos a diferentes grados de perturbación ecológica. La captura se hizo entre octubre de 2009 a octubre de 2010 en tres zonas altamente perturbadas y tres zonas con un grado de perturbación moderado a ligero; además, en la Reserva Nacional de Tambopata como grupo control. Se analizaron muestras de bazo mediante la técnica de RT-PCR semianidado que detecta las regiones conserva...

Climate change is directly or indirectly attributed to human activity and is considered the greatest threat to public health of the 21st century. It has impacts on access to water, food, agriculture and livelihoods, and people's health. The objective of this article is to evaluate the perceptions of climate change in children, adolescents, authorities and representatives of youth organizations, women’s organizations and organizations that work with children in the regions of Cusco, Loreto and Piura, in Peru. We conducted a qualitative study using Photovoice with twelve adolescents and in-depth interviews with twenty-two key stakeholders. For the analysis, thematic analysis of the narratives in the photos and of the interviews were used. Extreme changes in weather were identified in all three regions. In the Cusco region they recognized the change in temperature with droughts and frosts...

El cambio climático es atribuido directa o indirectamente a la actividad humana y se considera como la mayor amenaza a la salud pública del siglo XXI. Tiene impactos sobre el acceso al agua, la alimentación, en la agricultura y medios de vida, y en la salud de las personas. El objetivo de este texto es evaluar las percepciones del cambio climático en niños, niñas, adolescentes, autoridades y representantes de organizaciones juveniles, de mujeres y que trabajan con la niñez en las regiones de Cusco, Loreto y Piura, en Perú. Para ello se realizó un estudio cualitativo que utilizó la técnica de Fotovoz con doce adolescentes y entrevistas a profundidad con veintidós actores clave. Para el análisis se utilizaron las narrativas en las fotos y el análisis temático de las entrevistas. En las tres regiones se identificaron cambios extremos en el clima. En la región de Cusco recono...

Climate change is directly or indirectly attributed to human activity and is considered the greatest threat to public health of the 21st century. It has impacts on access to water, food, agriculture and livelihoods, and people's health. The objective of this article is to evaluate the perceptions of climate change in children, adolescents, authorities and representatives of youth organizations, women’s organizations and organizations that work with children in the regions of Cusco, Loreto and Piura, in Peru. We conducted a qualitative study using Photovoice with twelve adolescents and in-depth interviews with twenty-two key stakeholders. For the analysis, thematic analysis of the narratives in the photos and of the interviews were used. Extreme changes in weather were identified in all three regions. In the Cusco region they recognized the change in temperature with droughts and frosts...

El cambio climático es atribuido directa o indirectamente a la actividad humana y se considera como la mayor amenaza a la salud pública del siglo XXI. Tiene impactos sobre el acceso al agua, la alimentación, en la agricultura y medios de vida, y en la salud de las personas. El objetivo de este texto es evaluar las percepciones del cambio climático en niños, niñas, adolescentes, autoridades y representantes de organizaciones juveniles, de mujeres y que trabajan con la niñez en las regiones de Cusco, Loreto y Piura, en Perú. Para ello se realizó un estudio cualitativo que utilizó la técnica de Fotovoz con doce adolescentes y entrevistas a profundidad con veintidós actores clave. Para el análisis se utilizaron las narrativas en las fotos y el análisis temático de las entrevistas. En las tres regiones se identificaron cambios extremos en el clima. En la región de Cusco recono...

Rickettsiae are a family of ectoparasite-borne bacteria that can produce high morbidity and mortality among humans. There are scarce data on rickettsial ecology in rural areas of the Peruvian Amazon basin, where seroprevalence has not been determined, and the identities of animals acting as reservoirs of these bacteria are not known. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Zungarococha (between 2019 and 2021), a rural community located approximately 20 km away from Iquitos city. Blood samples were collected from humans (175), dogs (123), and cats (12). Blood samples and tissues were collected from black rats (84). Finally, we collected fleas from dogs and cats (222), ticks from dogs (91), and mites from black rats (32). Blood samples from humans, dogs, cats, and black rats were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence assays (IFA) to detect IgG antibodies against rickettsias. We screened ...