Signifying Zika: heterogeneity in the representations of the virus by history of infection

Abstract

Despite having been broadly advertised by the mass media, many negative consequences of the Zika virus have been less significant than originally predicted. It is likely that after a few months from the epidemic's onset, personal experience with the virus has altered the person's way to deal with the disease. This study explores the relation between exposure to Zika virus and the social representation of the epidemic. More specifically, one analyzes if increased exposure to the risk of Zika infection changes the characteristics of the web of meanings surrounding the epidemic. Between August and November of 2016, 150 interviews were conducted in the municipality of Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Based on the Free Words Association Technique, data on evocations related to the Zika virus were modeled by social network analysis, allowing the characterization of the web of meanings by level of exposure to the risk of Zika infection. The analysis performed here suggests that those never infected by any disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito have a lesser representation, incorporating information from the media through lay thinking. In contrast to those with low levels of exposure, the social representation of people infected by Zika is associated with meanings related to the most common symptoms, such as pain, rash, and itching. Personal experience seems to shape the social representation of the disease, increasing the focus on its proximate consequences. Public campaigns designed to foster protective behavior should take into consideration the heterogeneity in the representations of this epidemic to improve adherence to preventive behavior.

Live Births and Fertility Amid the Zika Epidemic in Brazil

“…Such familiarity with the transmitting mosquito might have led the population to initially disregard ZIKV as a serious threat. When the message about the danger of the virus for fetuses was disseminated with the announcement of the link between ZIKV and microcephaly (via public health campaigns, media, and medical knowledge), individuals may have begun to recognize the potential severity of infection and subsequently adjusted their behavior to avoid pregnancy (Guedes et al 2018).…”

Descriptive profile of the occurrence of arboviruses in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…In addition, 211,770 probable cases were recorded in Brazil, with an incidence of 103.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants 19 . One of the hypotheses that justifies the high number of cases in Governador Valadares is that the city was experiencing a ZIK epidemic during the period studied, aggravated by the rupture of the Samarco dam in November 2015 21 . This incident created a severe water shortage due to contamination of the city's main river by heavy metals, prompting residents to stock water at home 21 .…”

Knowledge and risk perception of vulnerable women on Zika virus infection at primary health care level in Brazil

“…[3,11] Other qualitative studies have assessed knowledge, attitudes and practices of women at risk for of ZIKV infection in Brazil, and of those actually infected by ZIKV [5]. We assumed that differences in regional incidence and in direct contact with the Zika epidemic and its consequences, such as microcephaly, might return different perceptions among women with similar backgrounds [12]. Moreover, the epidemic has waned in the last three years, and it is worthwhile to explore which knowledge has survived and whether attitudes and perceptions to risk remain in vulnerable groups.…”