Social Representations and Practices Towards Triatomines and Chagas Disease in Calakmul, México

Abstract

Vector-borne transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi (VBTTc) is dependent on the concomitant interaction between biological and environmental hazard over the entire landscape, and human vulnerability. Representations and practices of health-disease-care-seeking and territorial appropriation and use were analyzed for VBTTc in a qualitative ethnographic study in the Zoh-Laguna landscape, Campeche, Mexico. In-depth interviews and participatory observation explored representations and practices regarding ethno-ecological knowledge related to vector-transmission, health-disease-care-seeking, and land use processes. The population has a broad knowledge of biting insects, which they believe are all most abundant in the rainy season; the community´s proximity to natural areas is perceived as a barrier to control their abundance. Triatomines are mostly recognized by men, who have detailed knowledge regarding their occurrence and association with mammals in non-domestic fragments, where they report being bitten. Women emphasize the dermal consequences of triatomine bites, but have little knowledge about the disease. Triatomine bites and the chinchoma are “normalized” events which are treated using home remedies, if at all. The neglected condition of Chagas disease in Mexican public health policies, livelihoods which are dependent on primary production, and gender-related knowledge (or lack thereof) are structural circumstances which influence the environment and inhabitants´ living conditions; in turn, these trigger triatomine-human contact. The most important landscape practices producing vulnerability are the activities and mobility within and between landscape fragments causing greater exposure of inhabitants primarily in the dry season. A landscape approach to understanding vulnerability components of VBTTc from health-disease-care-seeking perspectives and based on territorial appropriation and use, is essential where there is continuous movement of vectors between and within all habitats. An understanding of the structural factors which motivate the population´s perceptions, beliefs, and practices and which create and maintain vulnerability is essential to develop culturally relevant and sustainable community-based VBTTc prevention and control.

Impact of climate change on vector transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) in North America

“…The epidemiological risk of T. cruzi transmission is greater in Mexico than in the U.S.A., as a result in part of the greater diversity of vector and reservoir species in the former (Hotez et al ., ; González et al ., ), and substantial social vulnerability to the vectors (Valdez‐Tah et al ., ). The presence of triatomine vectors and the pathogen in both countries highlights what they have in common: similar ecological, biodiversity and pathogen dispersal conditions in the Nearctic bioregion (Olson et al ., ; Ramsey et al ., ; Esteve‐Gassent et al ., ).…”

“…Both rural and urban populations exposed to this latter species are predicted to decrease in future models, as a result of displacement of the optimum ecological niche (centroid shift) to areas with little or no demographic growth. The projected reduction for T. barberi could be increased if social vulnerability is minimized (avoiding the use of natural building materials) through increased community engagement and awareness of the disease and the vector's association with certain social practices (Valdez‐Tah et al ., ).…”

Landscape ecology of Trypanosoma cruzi in the southern Yucatan Peninsula

“…cruzigenetic diversity. The southern region of the YP was chosen, due to the fact that it has highly conserved regions (CBR) bordering on humanfragmented landscape which would allow for a more complete contrast of zoonotic vs. anthropozoonotic transmission.This study was conducted in parallel with analysis of socio-cultural representations and practices related to vectors and associated with the landscape published elsewhere (Valdez-Tah et al, 2015b).…”

Health Care Seeking Behavior of Persons with Acute Chagas Disease in Rural Argentina: A Qualitative View

“…Similar to the findings reported in Mexico [28], the study subjects were familiar with triatomine bugs but were not able to connect it with the disease, nor did they have the necessary information for its prevention. Only in few cases where relatives or neighbors had experienced the disease were they aware of CD.…”

“…In Mexico, bites by triatomines were considered as normal daily events and only sometimes thought to transmit disease, while others thought they had developed a resistance [28]. For other participants, reactions were considered as a result of allergy or poison [28]. Culturally normalized bites resulted in treating conditions domestically with traditional remedies.…”