Amazon indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire hospitalized in ICU with sepsis, condition serious

Admission and symptoms

Raoni Metuktire was flown by air from his residence in the Peixoto de Azevedo region, where he had been receiving visits from indigenous leaders and shamans, and admitted at 17:00 on Sunday to the intensive care unit of the Dois Pinheiros Hospital in Sinop, in the north of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

On Saturday morning, the 94-year-old Kayapó chief experienced a vomiting episode. His condition deteriorated Sunday with three more vomiting episodes, persistent cough, abdominal pain, and sputum containing small amounts of blood. He consumed only breakfast and stopped eating during the day because of abdominal discomfort.

When he arrived at the hospital, Raoni presented "important compromise of general state, with signs of dehydration, pronounced drowsiness, a distended abdomen, and absence of diuresis," according to a medical bulletin sent to the Lusa news agency.

Diagnosis and condition

Initial tests identified altered renal function and markers compatible with a severe infectious process. The medical bulletin said the main diagnostic hypothesis is "sepsis of pulmonary focus secondary to bronchoaspiration pneumonia, resulting from uncontrollable vomiting." An abdominal CT scan also showed gastric subocclusion.

“The patient is hospitalized in intensive care under continuous surveillance. His state of health is considered serious.”

Raoni remains in the ICU under continuous monitoring, receiving venous hydration, broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, and intensive support. The hospital described his condition as serious and requiring uninterrupted care from a multidisciplinary team.

A lifetime of activism

Raoni Metuktire is the head of the Kayapó people and one of the most emblematic defenders of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous traditional communities. He first gained prominence in the 1970s, opposing a trans-Amazonian road project during Brazil's military dictatorship (1964–1985). After meeting British musician Sting in the Amazon in 1989, he embarked on his first international tour and has since traveled the world to meet heads of state, monarchs, and popes, raising awareness of the effects of climate change on the rainforest. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 and last November participated in the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil.

Despite his advanced age, Raoni has remained active in recent months, though visibly weakened. In April, he attended the Free Land Camp (Campamento Tierra Libre), the largest annual gathering of indigenous peoples in Brasília.

Previous hospitalization

This is Raoni's second stay at the same hospital this year. In May, he spent seven days there, first for treatment of a hernia, and later after being diagnosed with chronic bronchopneumopathy and heart problems, according to the hospital.