Increasing women’s engagement in vector control: a report from Accelerate To Equal project workshops

Ernst, Kacey C.; Barrett, Erika; Hoswell, Elizabeth; Hayden, Mary H.

doi:10.1186/s12936-018-2477-0

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In sum, gender mainstreaming, as a strategy for placing these gendered dimensions at the center of attention, can decisively contribute to the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of arbovirus control. Previous studies of mosquito control in Sudan, Kenya, and Indonesia have shown that women are more likely to create self-sustaining vector control programs [33] and that such programs can contribute towards broader gender equity [42]. This may in part relate to local division of labor but also points to societal power changes that may result from placing women at the helm.…”

Section: The Importance Of Gender In Vector Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender mainstreaming as a pathway for sustainable arbovirus control in Latin America

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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

show abstract

Section: The Importance Of Gender In Vector Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender mainstreaming as a pathway for sustainable arbovirus control in Latin America

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They are often part of the same community as that they serve in, and are therefore more likely to be aware of the social and cultural influences that influence MDA programme participation (Theobald et al, 2015). Vector control programmes in Sudan, Kenya and Indonesia, showed that "women are more likely to create self-sustaining vector control programs and that such programs can contribute towards broader gender equity" (Ernst et al, 2018;Rahman et al, 1996;Wenham et al, 2020).…”

Section: Gender and Sex Equity In Access To Healthcare In The Context Of Mass Drug Administration Programmesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protecting the neglected from disease: the role of gender, health equity and human rights in the fight against neglected tropical diseases

Rijk¹,

Klemperer²,

Depierreux³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Poverty and inequality are both the starting point, and the ultimate outcome, for most neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). As a group of 20 diseases, NTDs are typified by their prevalence among the poor, excluded, and marginalised within society. In the absence of quality healthcare provision, many NTDs lead to long term disability, disfigurement, and stigma, which in turn act to reinforce the exclusion and poverty experienced by the afflicted. The path leading to illness is often determined by a widespread lack of access to formal education, timely healthcare, adequate living conditions, employment and nutrition. The reasons for such deprivation are complicated, but ultimately reduce to a persistence of inequalities in affected regions. These inequalities can manifest differently depending on the demographic being studied: gender, ethnicity, geographic location, level of formal education, can all determine the ease with which NTDs are transmitted, diagnosed or treated. Yet, regardless of contextual differences, NTDs continue to persist because individuals within endemic regions experience a healthcare system that is, either directly or indirectly, inequitable. The healthcare system referred to in this context is not confined to simply formal healthcare settings. Rather, it encompasses local healers, community healthcare professionals or volunteers, drug administration programmes, community mental health provision, the formal education system, and, in extension, even the infrastructure that exists to physically connect individuals to their healthcare provider. Failing to ensure parity across each of these components for every citizen equates to a discriminatory healthcare system which fails to recognise the individual’s basic human right to “a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and of their family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services” (Article 25- Universal Declaration of Human Rights). To ensure NTDs are managed in a way that is sustainable in the long term, the underlying societal inequalities which allow them to persist must be first understood.

show abstract

“…Historically, women and health workers in LMICs had limited roles in community leadership and decision-making, and therefore in environmental vector control [ 42 , 101 , 110 ] due to socio-cultural factors e.g. norms, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, roles, gendered power relations and socio-economic, material and structural factors [ 6 , 19 , 25 , 32 , 39 , 45 , 63 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s participation in the prevention and control of dengue using environmental methods in the global south: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Mungall-Baldwin

2022

Int J Equity Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, causes significant mortality and morbidity in low- to middle-income countries. A body of research indicates that women can be effective in implementing vector borne disease control, but they still face inequitable opportunities for participation, leadership and decision-making in the execution of dengue prevention and vector control programmes. Yet implementing informal environmental management practices to prevent mosquito vector breeding forms part of their domestic household responsibilities. Understanding the enablers and barriers to women’s equitable roles with men in formal and informal disease prevention, and the benefits of their participation could help to increase their role and may be a contributing factor to reducing disease rates. The objective of this qualitative meta-synthesis was to synthesise evidence about women’s roles in dengue prevention and control in the global south and generate insights around the barriers, enablers, and benefits. Methods Eight databases were searched from inception to 7th December 2020. One investigator independently reviewed all titles and abstracts for relevant articles. Grey literature was searched using 34 websites of global health and international development organisations. Results A total of 18 articles representing qualitative research or the qualitative component of mixed methods studies from Latin American and Caribbean (n = 8), Asia (n = 9), and one international review were included in the meta-synthesis. Relevant scholarship from Africa was lacking. This meta-synthesis revealed five unique themes surrounding women’s participation, seven categories of barriers, six of enablers, four health, well-being and social benefits for individuals, and four for communities . Conclusion An analysis of the results confirmed that women’s participation in dengue prevention was not gender equitable, gender sensitive nor transformative although women are the primary human resource for household and community-based prevention. Women demonstrated specific qualities aiding successful implementation. Corrective action is urgently needed to shift unhelpful gender norms, and empower women into leadership and decision-making roles.

show abstract

Increasing women’s engagement in vector control: a report from Accelerate To Equal project workshops

Cited by 22 publications

References 4 publications

Gender mainstreaming as a pathway for sustainable arbovirus control in Latin America

Gender mainstreaming as a pathway for sustainable arbovirus control in Latin America

Protecting the neglected from disease: the role of gender, health equity and human rights in the fight against neglected tropical diseases

Women’s participation in the prevention and control of dengue using environmental methods in the global south: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About