The 2015 to 2017 outbreak of Zika generated global attention on the risk of a spectrum of neurological disorders posed to women and their unborn children-including, but not limited to, microcephaly-that came to be known as congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Images of women cradling babies born with CZS underscored the gendered nature of the epidemic. Nonetheless, the media attention towards the highly gendered dimensions of the outbreak was not matched by a recognition of the importance of female participation in the decision-making for the control of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector responsible for the spread of Zika. Moreover, while women were the target population of the public health response to the epidemic, the impact of arbovirus policies on women was largely neglected. This paradox-the absence of gender in the policy response to a problem where the gender dimensions were evident from the start-adds to other questions about the sustainability of arbovirus control. The Zika epidemic is but one element of a broader problem with arboviruses-including dengue fever, yellow fever, and chikungunya-which by and large remain neglected across Latin America (and much of the world). Dengue fever, spread by the same A. aegypti mosquito, has shown considerable growth across the continent in recent years [1]. For example, Brazil reported close to 1.5 million cases of the disease between 2014 and 2016 [2]. This is mirrored across Latin America, where there have been almost 700,000 reported cases so far in 2019 alone [3]. Similarly, the region is witnessing the highest rates of other diseases transmitted by A. aegypti. This includes yellow fever-particularly in Brazil [4] [5]-and chikungunya, which was only introduced to the hemisphere in 2013 and is now present in almost every country in the region, causing a significant morbidity burden [6]. Another question pertains to the complex history of arbovirus control in the region, which has demonstrated some notable, if only temporary, successes [7]. Recognition of this history and of the historical ecology of mosquitoes in the region is essential for the effectiveness of present programs, which thus far have repeated the mistakes of the past. Brazil has eliminated A aegypti numerous times [8] [9]. Nonetheless, the preference for vertical programs focusing on the "war" against Aedes has led to short-lived results, with mosquitoes returning within years, due, in a large part, to the absence of a coordinated regional response and the failure to consider and integrate the socioeconomic and structural determinants that enable mosquitoes to thrive. These include substandard living conditions, including those that result from rapid urbanization, increasing population density, poor quality housing, and inadequate sanitary and health facilities, along with lasting public sector deficiencies such as lack of routine water
Resumo O estudo aqui apresentado objetivou compreender como são construídas as identidades profissionais do agente de combate às endemias. Esse trabalhador tem papel estratégico na prevenção e no controle das arboviroses como dengue, chikungunya, zika e febre amarela, que constituem problemas graves de saúde pública no Brasil. A pesquisa fundamentou-se nos conceitos de qualificação e identidade profissional, referenciados pela sociologia do trabalho. Tratou-se de um estudo analítico, realizado entre 2014 e 2017, de abordagem qualitativa, realizado a partir de grupos focais, com trinta agentes de combate às endemias de um distrito sanitário de Contagem, Minas Gerais. Os dados foram analisados segundo os pressupostos da análise de conteúdo. A maioria dos agentes era mulher e com ensino médio completo. Os resultados apontaram que há um desconhecimento, por parte dos agentes, sobre o protocolo de execução de suas atividades de trabalho e dos conteúdos técnicos referentes à dengue. O processo ensino-aprendizagem ocorre por meio da oralidade e de processos de trabalho não formais. O não recebimento de crachás apresentou-se como um problema de identidade. Concluiu-se que as identidades profissionais dos agentes foram construídas e reconstruídas sem uma sólida formação profissional e em condições precárias de trabalho. O reconhecimento, como aspecto da identidade, ocorre no plano afetivo e não somente nos processos de trabalho.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.