Haitian Immigrants and the Coronavirus Pandemic in Brazil

Abstract

Social and environmental epidemiology recognizes that analyzing the social and living contexts in which populations are embedded is essential for broadening our understanding of health and disease processes, as well as improving research on disease distribution. This theoretical essay aims to discuss the repercussions and challenges faced by the Haitian population received in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on a review of the literature and discussions occurred in the Socio-Environmental Epidemiology class of the Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences in a university in southern Brazil. Given the precarious conditions in which Haitian immigrants live in Brazil and the impact on their health, this essay highlights that the vulnerabilities already present in this population were exacerbated during the pandemic, further worsening their living conditions and health status. Haitian immigrants appear to have experienced the effects of the pandemic more intensely due to intersectional factors, particularly their immigrant status combined with socioeconomic difficulties. This underscores the urgent need for public policies aimed at reducing the inequalities affecting this population, ensuring their effective integration into Brazilian society through improved access to quality employment, housing, food, income, and healthcare services.