Abstract
BackgroundArboviruses pose a serious and constant threat to public health, and have demanded surveillance efforts worldwide. The prevention of arbovirus transmission depends on effective measures to control vectors and promote health. The objective of this study was to examine the factors that enhance and impair the endemic disease control agents’ field work, based on their own perspective.Methodology and main findingsIn 2017, 65 ACE of seven municipalities participated in a series of seven focus groups in the Zona de Mata mesoregion (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The focus groups were organized aiming to broaden and deepen the discussion and analysis of ACE perception of their performance in relation to attributions, work processes, training, continuous education, and evaluation. All the workers, irrespective of municipality, recognize their role in disease prevention and health promotion, however they suffer from a reductionist stigma associated with their profession. Also, internal and external factors such as infrastructure, resources, administrative management, and the work process affect the quality of service delivered and job satisfaction. Practice challenges include incompatible demands such as refusal by residents and high sense of insecurity related to violence. The respondents reported that success of their activities depend on the population.Conclusions/SignificanceThe recurrence of epidemics demands effective vector control policies. Therefore, the performance of these professionals as regards surveillance needs to be reassessed. Public awareness and acknowledgement of the role of ACE in the identification of risk and health protection factors are indispensable for the improvement of this workforce.
Highlights
Arboviruses pose a serious and constant threat to public health and have demanded surveillance efforts worldwide
Dengue is listed among the World Health Organization (WHO) priority goals, its maintenance on the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) [7] has been questioned because of the funding and increasing scientific output related to Dengue over the past 20 years [8,9]
Future challenges in relation to epidemics, neglected diseases, and vector control are innumerous
Summary
Arboviruses pose a serious and constant threat to public health and have demanded surveillance efforts worldwide. The rising impact of arboviruses is mainly due to their high transmission, besides the capacity to adapt to new environments and hosts. These characteristics are conducive for epidemics in tropical and subtropical countries, such as Brazil [5,6]. Dengue is listed among the World Health Organization (WHO) priority goals, its maintenance on the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) [7] has been questioned because of the funding and increasing scientific output related to Dengue over the past 20 years [8,9]. Dengue fever satisfies one of the important criteria of NTD (diseases that affect urban population in densely populated and impoverished tropical areas), requires effective community-based interventions, especially primary prevention [2]. The objective of this study was to examine the factors that enhance and impair the endemic disease control agents’ field work, based on their own perspective
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