Gincana Escola Cidadã - Todos Contra a Dengue“ - An Official Campaign Integrating Society Sectors To Prevent Dengue in Mogi GuaçU, Sp, Brazil

Abstract:
Mogi Guaçu is a city in southeastern Brazil with 140,000 inhabitants, where the epidemics of dengue are very recent. In 2001 there were only 14 cases, but the incidence increased in the recent years, reaching 566 cases in 2008 and only 21 cases in 2009 (atypical year). The Brateau index for the city neighborhoods has not been high, being usually below 2. Considering the adaptability of the vector to new environments, its resistance to chemical larvicides and adulticides, and toxic effects of many pesticides to humans and the environment, the official program of the city government chose to invest in prevention through education. The program has aimed integrated educational activities, mobilizing the entire student community and integrating the public and private sectors, through a campaign whose motto is “Gincana Escola Cidadã” (i.e., citizenship school campaign). The educational program involved recreational activities, garbage collection, disposal and monitoring of breeding sites, and the surveillance of mosquito larvae in monitored tire-trap. From March to September 2010 the campaign was conducted in 24 schools of the Municipal School Network. It was collected for recycling and eliminated 11,394 ton of breeding sites (380m³). The tire-traps were inspected and weekly monitored, providing data of presence and abundance of Aedes aegypti. This information was sent to the mosquito control team of the Municipal Health Department to guide their actions. The educational work involved 982 teachers and 11,336 students for all school network, reportedly reached 9,100 families, representing about 19% of the total in the county. As a result, there was a significant, but low, increase in the number of confirmed cases of dengue, from 566 cases in 2008 to 819 cases in 2010. We conclude that although education is an important means of intervening in the fight against dengue, we must also strengthen its tools with the adoption of more offensive actions. Still, considering the small number of cases in 2009 (21 cases), researches are needed to clarify what factors are involved in years that the occurrence of dengue cases is greatly diminished in the city, in ways to improve strategies for managing the vector population dynamics.