Songs in the Amazon
"I was in Peru last month to investigate an outbreak of human rabies in the Amazon. It was an interesting and challenging trip. But, something surprised me that I want to share with you.
We were at the medical post in Shushug (one of the villages in the outbreak), when a group of children gathered round us to watch us work. We talked to them and offered them candy if they would sing a local song to us.
They sang a song about vampire bats and rabies. More singers joined the group and they sang more songs, two of which were also about bats and bat bites. We were intrigued and excited and took some pictures and recorded some video. A couple of days later, I told the story to our colleagues from MINSA (Ministry of Health, Peru) during lunch and explained the location of the village.
They told me that these songs were part of GARC’s project in the area to educate children in their native language about rabies.
Our work to control rabies is always very busy and sometimes very difficult and frustrating. Sometimes it goes OK and sometimes it feels really awesome - as it did when I heard the “bat” songs in the voices of those children, in their own language (Awuajan). There is hope at the end of the road...”
By Sergio Recuenco M.D.
Peru Outreach
CDC (Center for Disease Control)
