Within the framework of the Forum “Is it here to stay? Let’s Talk about Dengue”, organized by the Municipal Council, the special guest was Dr. Andrea Uboldi, current provincial Health Secretary and expert in epidemiology. The doctor gave some contributions that nourished all the data provided during the presentations.
First, he gave a forceful definition: “Dengue fever came to stay among us. And because of the experiences in Brazil and Paraguay, I am convinced that each new dengue epidemic will be worse and, with it, each epidemic will lead to more positive cases and more deaths.because there will be different varieties of dengue that will be circulating,” he declared at the venue.
But also, “those social sectors that are more vulnerable, with less access to the health system, will have a worse time. Therefore, we must establish planning in this sense,” asked the specialist.
The “three healths”
“We are absolutely convinced that all the impact generated by human actions affects animal, human and environmental health. If we do not understand this logic of comprehensiveness, and we only make targeted interventions, we will not solve the dengue problem.“said Uboldi.
And then he expressed the need for society to understand something central: dengue is not an exclusive health problem. “Believing that distributing repellents or that the vaccine against this disease will be the savior is a mistake. We must understand that this problem requires agreement tables and interdisciplinary work.”, he emphasized.
The Council distinguished the researchers who participated in the relevant study: “Relationship between climatic variables and incidence of dengue in Argentina”, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Credit: Courtesy Council So, there is a role for the State, another for social organizations, but also, there is a role for the citizen. For the pediatrician, all social attention falls excessively on the State’s response to dengue: “’They don’t spray me, they don’t give me repellent…’, people demand. That’s one leg of the matter.”
“But,” Uboldi added, “we must understand that Aedes aegypti is a mosquito found inside homes. Here appears the fundamental role of each citizen in matters of preventive self-care.”.
Cultural change and communication
For the provincial Health Secretary, the central question to answer is how a cultural change could be achieved that allows self-protection and that this has a solidarity effect for families, neighborhood residents and, ultimately, for the entire community.
See alsoDespite the cold, why is there an invasion of mosquitoes in the city of Santa Fe? “On the other hand, we must rethink communication, which must be segmented. It is not the same to say that you have to clean the ‘pet water fountains’ in the city, because people understand what that container is, than to say it in a rural area, where that ‘water fountain’ is not such: in the countryside, pets They take water from an old cover, for example.
“So, the word drinking fountain is not understood in a rural context; “The preventive strategy against dengue fails here,” said Uboldi, based on an experience in the territory where he was able to verify what he said.
Cleaning the containers where water accumulates (and which is a breeding ground for Aedes aegypti) and brushing them in a dry place to eliminate the eggs is part of preventive home self-care. Credit: Mauricio Garín And the place of communication is not only at school: “We must reach home, to adults. That is where the cultural change will come, and the coronavirus pandemic showed that we are capable of installing new self-protection habits. So, we must find a way to achieve focused communication messages according to the regions of the province, and their idiosyncrasies,” concluded Dr. Uboldi.
Simple tips for cultural change
- -Sanitize houses and gardens, eliminating accumulated water from whatever container it is in, and weed. With the low temperatures recorded these days, it is a good time to eliminate any larvae that may be present;
- -Then, brush those containers. It happens that the eggs of Aedes aegypti adhere to rough surfaces. Otherwise, those eggs will remain alive, then they will become adult mosquitoes that can transmit the disease;
- -Do not brush these containers over the kitchen sink, because the eggs will remain there, probably in the pipes. They should be brushed in dry places, on the ground, where there is no water;
- -Sharpen your vision inside the home: the custom of having pothos in water, vases and other containers where rainwater can accumulate still persists (the aedes aegypti needs this liquid to live), for example.
- -Eliminate microgardens, which are also potential breeding sites for the mosquito vector.
