Latin America’s coronavirus outbreak is playing out against a backdrop of already rampant arboviruses like dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika. Global guidelines on tackling Covid-19 fail to take into account local specificities, underplaying especially the social risk factors underlying this “syndemic”. With the Brazilian health system in particular danger of being overwhelmed, the vital work of community health workers must be protected at all costs, write Clare Wenham (LSE Health Policy), Gabriela Lotta (Fundação Getulio Vargas), and Denise Pimenta (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz)
