Varanasi: Andaman Islands, who live in protected areas and the general public are not permitted to interact with them, at a greater risk of Covid-19 infection, especially from illegal intruders and health workers.
These findings are the result of genome analysis of several Indian populations carried out by Dr.
Kumarasamy Thangaraj from the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), which is currently Director of the DNA Center for Fingerprints and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad and Prof.
Gyaneshwer Chaubey from the University of Hindu Banaras (BHU).
Their research has been publicly published in the journal ‘Genes and Imunity’, where they claim that Andaman Islanders, who lived in isolation for tens of thousands of years, is likely to be more susceptible to Covid-19.
Prof.
Chaubey, a professor of molecular anthropology in Bhu, said, “There are some speculations about the effects of Covid-19 among the population isolated.
However, for the first time, we have used genome data to assess the risk of Covid-19 in small and isolated populations.” Dr.
Thangaraj, who traced the origin of Andaman Islanders, said, “We have investigated the 9,600 high-individual density genome data from 227 ethnic populations.
We found the high frequency of homozygous genes between Onge, Jarawa (Andaman Tribes) and several populations in isolation and follow Strict endogamy, making them very susceptible to Covid-19 infection.
“The researchers also assessed the ACE2 gene variant which made individuals vulnerable to Covid-19.
They found that the Jarawa and Onge population had a high frequency of this mutation.
Such studies are guaranteed to assess the vulnerability of a population and it will also raise flags to save the Andaman Enigmatic Islands, said Prof.
Anil K Tripathi, Director of the Institute of Science, Bhu.
This study, which also has participants, including Pratap Singh Prajjval, Prof.
VN Mishra, Prof.
Royana Singh and Dr.
Abhishek Pathak from Bhu, Dr.
Prashanth Suravajhala from Amrita University, Kerala, Pratheusa Machha from CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad, Dr.
Rakesh Tamang from Calcutta University, Dr.
Ashutosh K Rai from Saudi Arabia, Dr.
Pankaj Shrivastava from FSL MP, and Prof.
Harri K Singh from the University of Alabama, USA, also found that a population carrying a similar long DNA segment (homozygous) in their genomes is likely to be more susceptible to Covid-19.
Their research shows that the Coronavirus SARS-COV-2 infection has affected various ethnic groups throughout the world.
Recent studies have shown that the Brazilian traditional group has been massively affected by Covid-19.
The death rate is twice as high among the Brazilian traditional community.
The researchers said, it was also shown that many indigenous communities had reached the threshold of extinction because of this pandemic.
India is home to several indigenous and small communities, including Andaman Islanders.