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Side Effects will examine the health care challenges that refugees and immigrants face in the U.S. Language barriers, cultural misunderstandings and our complex bureaucracy can interfere with effective care.Have a story idea? Email health@wfyi.org

Library hmun tampi ahcun sichunh (flu shot) chunh a ngah cang.

Hilary Powell

Cauk zoh dawh tein chiah lawng si loin, Nikki Johnson cu sianginn dih hnu ah siangakchia rawl pek le hmailei an lam tluan khawhnak caah fimnak a cheuh hna. Tu thla le bang cu sichunh (flu shot) kong a thil tuah ding ah a chap. 

Johnson rian cu Indianapolis Public Library i Martindale-Brightwood Branch a zohkhenh tu a si. “ Kan khua (community) caah mah hmun hi himnak hmun pakhat a si. Cun, hi hmun hi anmah ta a si le kan khua (community) cu pumkhat kan si tiin theihternak kan tuah.”

Siabawi te nih an forhfial mi cu, Indiana a ummi poah nih a tu lio rai (influenza) caah hin si an i chunh awk a si. Kum khat ah thong khat hrawng cu raifanh zawtnak in an zaw le kan hnu furcaan lio ah mining 130 an rak thi. 

Ngandamnak i piahnak ah doh tuk pakhat cu sifahnak hi a si. Mah ruangah hin Indiana Region of the American Red Cross le Indiana Immunization Coalition riantuan ttinak in PACE Indy le chaklei-nichuah lei hmun pawl cu a lakka in sichunhnak an awn. 

Mifim, sibawi pawl nih atu lio COVID-19 ruangah sichunh hi a biapi tuk hring hran an ti. Mah ruangah hin kan pawngkam sizung le i piahnak hmun pawl hi tamtuk tax an duh lo. 

“October 1st in October 11th karlak ah, Indiana chungin COVID-19 ruangah minung 135 an thi,” tiin Eskenazi Health sizung i por khamhnak (infection prevention) lei i si hruitu (medical director), Dr. Army Beth Kressel nih a chim. 

“Kan hnu raifanh caan lio hmanh ah minung 130 an thih. Mah nih a langter mi cu, zeitluk in dah COVID-19 hi ttih a nun a langhter.”

Zawnruahnak caah a si

Raifanh caan hi October thla in May thla tiang a si. Marion County Public Health Department nih an tuak ning ahcun, raifanh ca si chunh an i timh mi phak kan duh ahcun US ummi nih cheuhra ah cheusarih nih si an i chunh hau. 

Indiana ummi minak pawl caah cun, mah hi hi a har ngai. 

Dr. Virginia Caine, Marion County Public Health Department i an chief medical officer cu si a chun diam cang. Amah nih a tuah bantuk in, Indiana ummi minak dang pawl zong sichunh cu a forhfial ve hna. 

“Nangmah zawn na ruah lo hmanh ah, na dawtmi hna caah zawnruahnak ngei,” a ti. 

Dr. Caine nih, “A dang miphun he tahchunh ahcun, minak miphun hi sichunh lei ahcun an i harh ngai” a ti. American Red Cross nih a hmuh mi cu, Indiana a ummi minak miphun cu, cheuhra ah cheuli (40%) lawng nih 2018-2019 rai caan lio ah khan si an rak i chun. Tahchunhnak ah, mirang pawl cu a cheu (49%) nih si an rak i chun kho. 

“Mah hi ngeihchia ngai mi a si, nabeltein ka hnabesei ngai ko,” Chad Priest, Indiana American Red Cross CEO, nih a ti. “Si chunh hi minak miphun caah a har khunnak a ruang cu, caan saupi in a harsa mi an rak si ruang ah si. Ka hnabeiseinak hi, mah theihthiamnak in a ra.”

Chad Priest nih mi tampi nih thei hna seh ti a duh mi cu, COVID-19 le raifanh zawtnak hi chawnh a fawi te te mi an si. Mah pahnih zawtnak hi na khuh, nih, le na holh hmanh ah hin i chawnh khawh a si. An zawtnak laughter dan (symptoms) zong hi an i lo ngai. 

Pandemic pahnih hrial

Dr. Caine nih a phan ngai mi thil pakhat cu, COVID le raifanh zawtnak ruang ah hin sizung nih a chei sual hna lai lo ti a phang. 

“Ihnak le thawchuah khawhnak seh pawl nih a kan zat lai lo,” a ti. 

Dr. Kris Box, tu thla ah COVID a ngei (positive) ve mi, nih a ti mi cu, “ Zawtnak (pandemi) pahnih neih lonak caah sichunh hi a biapi tuk,” a ti. Dr. Box hi State Health ah Commissioner a ttuan lio mi a si. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nih forhfial mi cu, thla ruk nak in a upa cang ko mi nih cun, sichunh hi kum chiar te an i chunh ding ai a ti. Dr. Box nih thla ruk nak dang a si mi cu sichunh phung a si lo. Mah ruang ah khan, midang nih cun si an i chunh hi a biapi tuk a ti. 

Mah zawtnak pahnih chawnh khawhnak tlawmter nak caah, sibawi le sizung rianttuan tu pawl zong si an i chunh a hau.

“CDC nih an saduhthah mi cu, US ummi vialte si an i chunh hi a si. COVID le raifanh zawtnak hi awikhat ah rian an ttuan tti sual lai ti an phang tuk,” tiah Kessel nih a ti. 

Ruahchannak um tuk lo.

Eskenazi Health, Indianapolis khuapi i sizung pakhat ahcun, COVID-19 a ngei mi an kharh tuk sual tik caah ralring ngai in an um. Lung sibawi (pulmonary specialists) hna tampi an sizung ah an um cang. 

“Khua lum lio i ruahchannak ka rak ngeih bantuk khan a tu cu ka ngei ti lo. Tukum cu kan i manh bak lo,” tiah Kessel nih a chim tthan. 

A chim rih mi cu, hmaihuh (mask) i hruk le social distancing nih hin coronavirus i chawnh khawhnak a khamh ngai. Raifanh zawtnak caah cun, sichunh hi a ttha bik.

Nikki Johnson rianttuannak hmun (library) ahcun, sichunh hi cauk an ngeih zat tluk in a um a ti. 

“Kannih cu pehtleihnak tuah tu kan si. Kai nuamh bik nak cu, midang caah an neih lo mi thil a si nain an herh mi thil pek hi a si,” tiah Nikki Johnson nih a ti. 

This story was reported as part of a partnership between WFYI, Side Effects Public Media and the Indianapolis Recorder. Side Effects Public Media reporter Hilary Powell wrote the English translation. This piece was translated by Indiana University student VanBik Thawng.