Abstract
ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To evaluate the adherence of pregnant women to personal protective measures against mosquito bites, recommended by the Ministry of Health, and to investigate the factors associated with the non-adoption of these measures.METHODS We interviewed 177 pregnant women between November 2016 and February 2017 in the 10 basic health units of the municipality of Propriá, state of Sergipe, two located in the rural area and eight in the urban area, during prenatal appointments, to raise information about the use of preventive measures against the vector transmission of Zika virus. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, and the odds ratio was calculated. The independent variables were grouped by the analysis of principal components, and the dependents (the use of repellent, mosquito nets, garments, screens and insecticides) were analyzed using the logistic regression method.RESULTS Among the measures recommended by the Ministry of Health, mosquito nets were the most used by pregnant women living in rural areas and with low education level, while the repellents were more used by women in the urban area and with higher education level. Women in a vulnerable socio-economic situation presented a risk 2.4 times higher for not using screens in their homes, 1.9 times higher for not changing clothes and 2.5 times higher for not using repellent than pregnant women in better economic conditions.CONCLUSIONS The socioeconomic status of pregnant women, especially among the less privileged, influenced the use of protective measures against Zika virus, from the purchase of repellent, clothing, insecticides to other resources in the municipality of Propriá, SE.
Highlights
The entry and dispersion of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil has been silent from the beginning of 20141
Among the measures recommended by the Ministry of Health, mosquito nets were the most used by pregnant women living in rural areas and with low education level, while the repellents were more used by women in the urban area and with higher education level
Aedes aegypti was incriminated as the main vector of ZIKV6, a large vector control campaign was instituted throughout the country, called Zika Zero, in order to reduce the infestation levels of this mosquito species[7]
Summary
The entry and dispersion of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil has been silent from the beginning of 20141. The severity of the situation surfaced in the second semester of 2015, when an alarming number of cases of microcephaly was registered in the Northeast of the country[2]. In response to the microcephaly epidemic in Brazil, rapidly associated with ZIKV, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ZIKV, at the beginning of 2016, as “a public health emergency of international concern,” highlighting the importance of stronger measures to reduce infection, especially among pregnant women and in fertile age[3]. Aedes aegypti was incriminated as the main vector of ZIKV6, a large vector control campaign was instituted throughout the country, called Zika Zero, in order to reduce the infestation levels of this mosquito species[7]. The strategies to control Ae. aegypti in Brazil, whether by the mechanical elimination of breeding sites, or by the use of insecticides, have obtained disappointing results, with constant dengue epidemics[8] and resistance to several classes of insecticides widely distributed[9]
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