Abstract
Dengue fever is the fastest spreading, most prevalent and deadly arthropod-borne viral disease worldwide, present in over 125 countries. In 2013, Costa Rica is experiencing the highest number of Dengue infections since the virus's reintroduction to the country in 1993. This study evaluated the Dengue-related knowledge of 320 community members, and polled opinions on how to better educate and mobilize the community on Dengue prevention in Quebrada Ganado, Costa Rica during March-May, 2013. In addition, property inspections were used to find relationships between knowledge or opinions and presence ofAedes breeding sites. Results showed that while citizens knew the virus is transmitted by mosquitoes that reproduce near water, they lacked knowledge on Aedes habits and confused it with other mosquitoes. Eighty-one percent of respondents assumed some responsibility for dengue prevention. Suggestions for improved education included consistent and continual information on the risks and dangers dengue poses to an individual. Characteristics relating to households with more positive breeding sites were: lower education level, higher prevalence of dengue infections in the household, lesser knowledge of dengue symptoms, a lower rating on the dangers of dengue and a lower rating on the importance of preventative actions. While a range of prevention methods are implemented, active community involvement is highly important for successful Dengue prevention. Continual evaluation is necessary to make more immediate, long-term behavioral societal changes, and to maximize the economic resources spent on Dengue prevention.
Highlights
Dengue fever is a viral illness caused by any one of the four DENV flavivirus serotypes (DENV1-DENV4)
In 1947 the Pan American Sanitary Bureau initiated a campaign to eradicate Aedes aegypti from the Western Hemisphere, and by 1961 Aedes was completely eradicated from many Latinamercan countries, including Costa Rica (Severo, 1955; Soper, 1963)
Successful, the country of Costa Rica remained free of dengue until an epidemic outbreak in 1993
Summary
Dengue fever is a viral illness caused by any one of the four DENV flavivirus serotypes (DENV1-DENV4) It is the most prevalent and deadly arthropod-borne human illness worldwide (Guzman & Kouri, 2002; Farrar et al, 2007; Ross, 2010) and is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, primarily Aedes aegypti. World War II when a global dengue pandemic began (reviewed in Gubler, 1998) To this day, no dengue vaccine has been approved, and prevention methods rely heavily on diminishing the vector. While a number of options for diminishing the vector have been considered in the past 20yrs, including predation to kill the mosquitoes, fumigation, and shorter-lived organophosphate insecticides, these methods are not successfully executed and are difficult to manage without community participation. It was reported that public education regarding dengue knowledge is relatively strong in Costa Rica, yet education on attitudes and beneficial practices has not been well provided (Solís, Quesada, & Gutiérrez, 2010)
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