Abstract:
Due to the persistence of dengue and other arbovirus infections in Brazil, the government has stepped up measures to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito vector. The responsibilities of community endemic disease workers (CEDW) and community health workers (CHW) include acting as intermediaries and disseminating knowledge in the community. The aim of this study was to analyze knowledge and practices in dengue control by different social subjects: residents and CEDW/CHW. Interviews were held with residents, field and mobilization CEDW, and CHW in two neighborhoods in Salvador, Bahia State, using focus groups. Residents expressed uncertainty on the form of transmission and hazards of dengue. Field CEDW voiced conflicting feelings due to the need to inform the community on issues over which they lack any control, while expressing personal dissatisfaction with their work and a feeling of underappreciation due to their lack of training. Mobilization CEDW blamed the population and emphasized their own importance as the solution to dengue control. CHW failed to reflect their field experience in their discourse and felt they had no responsibility over vector control. All the groups agreed that government is to blame for dengue and that the solution lies in education. There is an evident need for regular educational interventions, based on dialogue and awareness-raising to deal with residents’ daily reality, drawing individuals (residents and CHW) into the knowledge-building process. Under the prevailing methodology, the dissemination of information and knowledge is insufficient to promote community improvements for dengue control.
Keywords:
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Communicable Disease Control; Dengue