Agribusiness and Pandemic in Brazil: Is a Syndemic Worsening the Covid-19 Pandemic?

Covid-19 is a disease caused of an infectious process by the SarsCov-2 virus. Many processes are simultaneously driving the emergence of new zoonoses, including increased demand for animal protein, agricultural intensification, increased exploitation of wildlife and natural resources, accelerated urbanization and extractive industries, increased travel and lengthening food supply chains (United Nations Environment Programme 2020). In Brazil and other low- and middle- income countries, the health effects of the pandemic are exacerbated by deep social inequalities, high and unequal burden of comorbidities, democratic fragility and setbacks in social and environmental policies along with exposure to contaminants such as pesticides (Ortega, Orsini 2020). In Brazil the effect of these factors is accentuated by the: 1) deregulation of sanitary, labor and environmental systems that increase exposure to pesticides and malnutrition; 2) dismantling of health and environmental inspection structures; 3) continued dismantling of health services for both prevention and assistance; 4) increasing the burden of chronic disorders generating a syndemic interaction with COVID-19. The food industry is shaping the diet of the population with increasing consumption of calories, fat, salt and sugar driving the rising incidence of many non-communicable disorders including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and cancer. Exposure to pesticides is contributing to several pathophysiological mechanisms that affect organic systems, such as the central nervous, endocrine and immune systems. The incidence and case fatality of COVID-19 is known to be higher among people with many different chronic disorders including obesity, diabetes, cancer, lung disorders and dementia. Thus, in a synergistic way, the “agribusiness production model” not only increases the risk of emerging zoonotic viruses, but also drives increased exposure to pesticides that together with malnutrition increases people’s vulnerability to negative health effects. This report will analyze the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil in the context of the 1) ongoing dismantling of institutions and legislation, 2) the influence of agribusiness on policy and 3) the dependence on the use of pesticides. A chronology and a brief analysis of the facts that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the implications for health, such as the use of pesticides and malnutrition (food security) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be presented.