General health status of the tribal is poor as compared to the modern society. They may suffer from some distinct health problems, not because they have some specific type of health, but because of specific placement in difficult areas and circumstances, in which they live. Because of the widely varying geo-climatic and ecological conditions, the different tribal societies depending on their uniqueness may have some specific health issues and problems of their own.
Widespread poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, non-availability of safe drinking water and sanitary living conditions, poor maternal and child health services, ineffective coverage of national health programs and consanguineous marriages have been found to affect the health status of the tribal adversely and also responsible for some of the specific illness including genetic disorders. Unfortunately, proper health services are not available in many of the tribal areas. Understandably, the common belief, customs and practices connected with health and disease influence their choice of treatment methods. The inadequate nature of facilities in many tribal areas, lack of respect in the staff manning these facilities for the indigenous culture and further inadequate attention towards these patients is often responsible for the non-acceptance and distrust of the tribal towards the modern medicine.
The gradual encroachment by the modern society on the natural resources of the tribal and depleting them of their habitat and exposing them to the apparently alien modern acculturation is a continuing stress, which could result in a variety of psychiatric problems.
General Health Status of Tribes of India
February 6th, 2009Health, Indigenous Knowledge System and Herbal Treatment of HIV/ AIDS
February 6th, 2009Proper nutrition is the best front line drug for AIDS and nutritional deficiency in part contribute to the more rapid onset of AIDS among HIV positive people in all the area. For to restricting the spread of epidemic among the already tuned tribal groups, their nutritional level, hygienic condition and other health improving measures have to be undertaken besides reducing susceptibility of infection to Malaria, TB, STD which can further increase the risk HIV among the tribal population.
In the various areas, herbal therapies is widely in use by HIV positive people. Among the tribal where modern medicine system is not in full-fledge, the people primarily take indigenous herbal medicine at the time of need. Cadres of traditional health practitioners, spiritualists, birth attendants and herbalists are found in every village, in poor urban neighborhood, and in tribal areas.
The traditional health providers have a high degree of credibility and are usually the first source of help sought by individuals when they become ill. And the risk of infection on HIV/AIDS can be reduced by imparting awareness, knowledge and preventive measures through these traditional health practitioners, spirituals, birth attendants, traditional midwives and herbalists as these are the integral part of the tribal’s traditional culture.
Tribal health providers have herbal medicine for every common health problem. These herbal therapies may be effective in curing certain of the opportunistic infections that come with AIDS. Perhaps some of the tribal therapies have some of the anti-retroviral qualities for e.g., Turmeric a naturally occurring spice has shown promise. Tribal also use Keezhanelli, a common weed in Tamil Nadu in South India, for centuries as a treatment of Hepatitis A. The chemical analysis result showed that Keezhanelli had some antiretroviral properties as a reverse transcriptase.
So far as the diagnosis of the disease is connected, the tribal face great difficulty, particularly when they are confronted with any thing different from the common diseases of every day occurrence. Due to this, many opportunistic infection like STI and STD are not reported as sometime tribal relate them with supernatural power, or with any mystic figure.
Ecological and Cultural Background
Pasuvula Banda is located in the agency tracts of Visakhapatnam district. The district Visakhapatnam has two district regions of contrasting ecological and topographic features, one with plain landscape extending from the sea coast upto the foot hill of eastern ghats with moderate temperature and the other covered b\y thick forests a top elevated eastern ghats with cold climate. The geographical area of the district is 11,161 sq. kms, of which the agency area covers 6298 sq. km, i.e. 56.4 percent of the area of that district. The entire agency area in the district is covered with thick forest growth of numerous trees and dales. Trees like gallnut, nalla maddi, jack, tamarind, teak, mango, bamboo, buruga, eucalyptus, sampangi, silver oak etc., and tree creepers like adda, soap nut are common in the forest. Apart from these, coffee plantation also found under the shade of big trees. A number of wild animals are also seen in the forest. The most commonly found animals in the forest are bison, deer, bear, tiger, fox, wolf, snakes, numerous birds, wild fowls, peacocks and hares.
Social division like clan, lineage and family are common in each tribe. For instance the Bagata tribe have the totemic clans like Hanumanthu, Surbi, Peyya, Elugu, Naga, Matsya, Surya, and Puli and also the lineage names like Sagina, Garthuru, Reemala, Murla, Bakuru, Arada and Veluchuri. All the tribe observe the endogamy at tribe level and exogamy at clan and lineage levels. They follow the patriarchal system. In the local hierarchy, the Bagata stands at the top whereas the Valmiki occupies the bottom most position. The traditional dressing pattern of tribal men is loin cloth as undergarment and sari for women. The dead are cremated. Dimsa is the popular tribal dance in the area in which both men and women participate. Their economy is agro-forest based and subsistence in character. Rearing of livestock is very common to each and every tribal family. Almost all the tribes collect the non-timber forest produce. About 60 percent of the tribal families stands at below poverty line.
The tribal have superstitious beliefs and worship the nature. They take religious service from the local Guruvu and consult the witchdoctor or sorcerer for various diseases. The important deities for them are Konda devata and Sanku devudu. Their festivals are associated with the harvesting of crops and seasonally available forest resources of edible fruits. Each tribe has its own traditional head, and a village council of informal political body which deal the cases like divorce, adultery, elopement, thefts, family and poverty disputes. Moreover they live in harmony and very much attached to the local religions, political institutions and intertwined with the environment which they inhabit.
Female, Infant and Child Mortality Among Moyon Community
January 10th, 2009In Moyon communities, there is no gender discrimination. The birth of a daughter is also welcomed warmly even though they prefer boys for fulfilling the roles of patriarchy like transmission of property, expansion of lineage and looking after parents in their old age. So, their is no female feticide at all. They often believe that the birth of a child is a gift from God. So, in older days, a woman gave birth till the end of their fertility period. Now, because of modern form of media that keeps on reminding them about family planning, they have accepted family planning.
Infant and child mortality is mostly correlated with socio-economic and environmental factors. So, mortality occurs more in outskirt areas than in the main lands. This is because of the poor facilities of medical aids within the area and also because of their poverty and unhygienic way of living, epidemics mostly breaks out in these areas. But in comparison to the neighboring communities, infant mortality is very low among Moyon.
The mortality is higher in the age group of 0-4. These deaths are mainly on account of the poor health status of the mother during prenatal and postnatal period. There was also a case of asphyxianeonatorum which could not be saved due to the delivery done at home.
The major diseases noticed among children were air-borne diseases like chicken pox, whooping cough, ordinary fever, cold, cough, etc. These were followed by water-borne diseases like diarrhea/ dysentery, jaundice, cholera, typhoid and measles. An epidemic like diarrhea/ dysentery, jaundice, cholera, typhoid also broke out in the remote hilly areas where medical aids could not reach in time.
Environmental factor are responsible for the death of many children as they move away from parents. During these periods, they were found playing around ponds, ditches, and eating and drinking water ever comes in their way. There was also a report that some life of children were taken by high current of river during rainy seasons because they love to swim.
Dimension of Tribal Health in India
January 10th, 2009The culture of the community determines the health behaviour of the community in general and individual members I particular. The health behavior of the individual is closely linked to the way he or she perceive various health problems along with access to various health care institution.
Primitive tribal group in India have special health problem and genetic abnormalities like sickle cell anemia, G-6-PD red cell enzyme deficiency and STD. Unsanitary condition, ignorance, lack of personal hygiene and health education are the main factors responsible for a majority of health problems.
Some of the problems indicated by investigations in tribal areas include:
a) Endemic disease like malaria, introduction from outside or otherwise like TB, influenza, dysentery, high infant mortality and malnutrition. These diseases also reflect that there can exist possibility of HIV infection as TB and STD are found in great number among the tribal.
b) Venereal disease include abortion, inbreeding, addiction to opium, custom of eating tubers of DIOSCERA (may cause sterility as it contain substances used in oral contraception).
c) Nutrition, anemia is a major problem for women in India and more so in the rural and tribal belt. Anemia lowers resistance to fatigue, affects working capacity under conditions of stress and increase susceptibility to other diseases. Tribal diets are generally grossly deficient in calcium, vitamin A, B, C riboflavin and animal protein.
Similarly crude birth practices were found to exist in some tribal groups like Kharias, Gonds, Kutia Khondhs of Orissa, sandals, Jaunsaries, and Kharias, etc. More than 90 percent of deliveries are conducted at homes by elderly ladies of the household. No specific precautions are observed at the time of conducting deliveries, which resultant in an increase susceptibility to various infections. These practices also increase the risk of mother to child transmission of disease like HIV/AIDS.
Sexually transmitted diseases are most prevalent diseases in the tribal areas. VDRL was found to be positive in 17-12 percent cases (reactive in dilution of 1.8 or more) of polyandrous jaunsaries of Chakrata, Dehradun. Out of 17 percent, 9.92 percent was found among male and 7.79 percent among females. Among santals of Mayurbhanj Distt. Orissa 8.90 percent cases of VDRL were observed, out oh which 4.99 percent were females and 3.91 percent were males.
Malnutrition was common greatly affected the ability to resist infection, leading to chronic illness and the post weaning period leading to permanent brain impairment. A high incidence of malnutrition was observed in some primitive tribal groups in Phulbani, Koraput and Sundergarh district of Orissa and also among Bhils and Garasia of Rajesthan and Padars, Rabrig and Charans of Gujarat and Bondas of Orissa.
Indigenous Health Practice Among the Indian Tribal
January 10th, 2009The modern system of medicine has not made any roads in the Indian tribal population. Car stairs (19550 has pointed out that allopathic medicine does not fit in the social system of the villagers. The villagers aspect to pay only after they are cured and feel that why a doctor immediately asks for fees are like a tradesman or shopkeeper. They do not understand why the doctor ask them so many questions as the traditional practices tell them what is wrong without asking any details.
Magico-religious practices are frequently resorted to for treatment of various diseases. There are also a number of indigenous practices, which incorporate considerable amount of practical know how, derived over centuries of experience in the use of herbs and other substances to cure variety of illness. The tribal have hit upon some herbs in someway or other and come to know its efficacy. Use of herbs is guided by this randomly or formally gained experience. The knowledge is often passed from one generation to the next. There was no documentation of such experience till recent past, but in recent years some herbs have been identified with treatment of specific illness. The choice of herbs and treatment depends according to availability of plants in the neighboring surroundings. Some of these have also efficacy against psychiatric illness.
Some of the common herbs found to have efficacy against psychiatric symptoms and used by the tribal in different parts of the country include anatamul (plants), Sarpagandha (plant), bigchanda (plant), thankumi (herb) (Narayan, 1986). The plant of Anatamul is used for treatment of nerve troubles, neuralgia, sciatica and paralysis. Aswagandha have efficacy against sexual weakness and is also an important component of many Ayurvedic drugs. Sarpagandha is another herb with establish efficacy against psycho sis as well as tension. It also reduces blood pressure. The plant of Bigchanda has also antipsychotic properties. Thankumi is another plant, which is used as a brain tonic and also having efficacy against dysentery, leprosy and skin diseases.