Assessment of the Housing Improvement Program for Chagas Disease Control in the Northwestern municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction:The Housing Improvement Program for Chagas Disease Control (HIPCDC) was established in 2001 in Northwestern Rio Grande do Sul State, aiming to improve the conditions of the domiciliary and peridomiciliary environments to make them resistant to triatomine colonization. This study aimed to assess the impact of the HIPCDC on triatomine control by developing local population and authority awareness on the issue. Methods: The study was conducted by means of questionnaires applied to local authorities and the program beneficiaries. Three municipalities -Ajuricaba, Coronel Barros, and Crissiumal -were visited. Results: A program coordinator from each municipality and 62 individuals from selected households were interviewed. The authorities reported difficulties in the implementation of the program due to differences between the project development period and financial resource availability, in addition to a lack of understanding by the community not included in the program. As for the houses, most improvements were made in the peridomiciliary environments; moreover, construction of 4 new residences, as well as the renovation of others, was also reported. Regarding suggestions to the program, requests for better planning (44.9%) and renovation quality (36.7%) were highlighted. With reference to the presence of triatomine bugs, prior to the HIPCDC adaptations, 12.9% of the respondents reported coming across at least one specimen at home, as compared to 22.6% who found these insects in peridomiciliary areas. Conclusions: Despite reports of difficulties in carrying out the HIPCDC, there was an improvement in the housing conditions, with no triatomine occurrence reports after the program implementation.

Home improvement and system-based health promotion for sustainable prevention of Chagas disease: A qualitative study

“…Consequently, multiple CD control programs have also proposed some form of home improvement to interrupt vectors’ circulation from natural to human environments and reduce harbourages for the bugs [18]. Such improvements include provision of high quality and durable plastering materials [13,19], amelioration of ventilation and illumination openings [20], wall cracks’ fixing [21], and complete replacement of dwellings [22]. Installation of zinc or iron roofs, fitting of solid floors, and improvement of peridomestic environments have also been recommended to keep CD’s vectors away from human living environments [23].…”

“…Home improvement is considered a sustainable form of vector control, not only because of the long-term protective effect expected from infrastructure-based interventions, but also because of the impact that housing structures can have on the overall health [23,25–28] and socio-economic conditions [22,29] of their inhabitants. However, this form of vector control is usually challenged by implementation issues—including cost-effectiveness, limited accessibility to populations at risk, low availability of construction materials, high demand of technical expertise and scalability issues [25,27,30,31]—challenging the feasibility of bringing infrastructure-based protective measures up to scale, and, as a consequence, the practicality of this measure for long-term CD control.…”

Artropatia Crônica Em Consequência Da Febre Chikungunya

“…Antropozoonose de relevância significativa, a Doença de Chagas, também conhecida como tripanossomíase americana, retrata uma condição infecciosa que possui fase aguda e crônica, e que tem sido citada como doença parasitária de grande importância para a saúde pública. Apesar do imenso impacto no âmbito social e econômico, para OMS (Organização Mundial de Saúde), a Doença de Chagas continua sendo uma patologia tropical negligenciada pelos órgãos de saúde de países em que ela é endêmica WESTPHALEN;BISUGO;SANTOS et al, 2016).…”

Patologias das Doenças 6

“…Antropozoonose de relevância significativa, a Doença de Chagas, também conhecida como tripanossomíase americana, retrata uma condição infecciosa que possui fase aguda e crônica, e que tem sido citada como doença parasitária de grande importância para a saúde pública. Apesar do imenso impacto no âmbito social e econômico, para OMS (Organização Mundial de Saúde), a Doença de Chagas continua sendo uma patologia tropical negligenciada pelos órgãos de saúde de países em que ela é endêmica (DIAS et al, 2016;WESTPHALEN;BISUGO;SANTOS et al, 2016).…”