Buenos Aires  - The first cases of swine flu have been confirmed in an Amazonian indigenous community, the London-based Survival International said Wednesday.

Experts fear that the new flu may have particularly devastating consequences for indigenous communities as they have "no immunity to outside diseases."

Survival, an international organization for the protection of indigenous people, said seven members of the Matsigenka tribe who live along the Urubamba River in Peru had tested positive for the Q H1N1 virus. The report cited the regional health department in Cusco, Peru.

"Tribal peoples across the world are particularly vulnerable to swine flu, as many have poor immunity, live in poverty, and have high rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease," Survival said.

The organization quoted anthropologist Glenn Shepard, an expert on the Matsigenkas, who was concerned that this community is "known to have intermittent contact with quite isolated Indian groups living nearby."

Survival director Stephen Corry said: "Isolated tribes across the world already face threats from illegal loggers, ranchers, poachers, and even over zealous tourists, encroaching on their lands and bringing diseases against which they have no immunity."

"In times of a global pandemic, it is even more important than ever that their land rights are recognised and protected before it is too late," he added.  (dpa)