Camila Gianella: Researcher at Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway, and post-doc researcher at the Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway.
César Ugarte-Gil: Consultant at Salud Sin Limites Peru, and Research Associate at Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru; and PhD student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Godofredo Caro: TB consultant medical doctor at Mantaro Health Network, Junin Health Directorate, Junín, Perú.
Rula Aylas: Member of the technical team at Indigenous Health Directorade at the Ministry of Health, Lima, Perú.
César Castro: Lecturer at School of Nursing Universidad Peruana Los Andes, Huancayo, Perú.
Claudia Lema: Executive Director at Salud Sin Limites Peru, Lima, Peru.
This article analyzes the factors associated with vulnerability of the Ashaninka, the most populous indigenous Peruvian Amazonian people, to tuberculosis (TB). By applying a human rights-based analytical framework that assesses public policy against human rights standards and principles, and by offering a step-by-step framework for a full assessment of compliance, it provides evidence of the relationship between the incidence of TB among the Ashaninka and Peru's poor level of compliance with its human rights obligations. The article argues that one of the main reasons for the historical vulnerability of the Ashaninka to diseases such as TB is a lack of political will on the part of the national government to increase public health spending, ensure that resources reach the most vulnerable population, and adopt and invest in a culturally appropriate health system.
