Condições ambientais e transmissão de malária e dengue: um estudo das percepções dos moradores do entorno sul da Reserva Florestal Ducke - Manaus-AM

Abstract

The antropic pressure on forest areas, besides being an environmental problem, inserts first order social problems from its origin up to its consequences. Social areas are elements of abundant life, were ecosystem gets its own order and changes on it affects all other surrounding ecosystems, in special way, human population. So, these study characterize the interface environment and health, with adjacent Ducke Forest Reserve (DFR) populations asresearch locus. DFR is an one million hectares reserve situated at north of Manaus-AM and isalmost isolated from continues forests due to intense occupation, specially in the south limitswhere the city literally pulls in its frontier. Thereby, my study main objective in this study was to solve the subjective dimensions from residents perceptions of the environmental aspects related to diseases of vectorial transmission, particularly malaria and dengue. Diseases of vectorial transmission are responsible for elevated mortality rates. Its vectors are insects, which reproduction is associated to the occupation and devastation of forest areas. In this qualitative exploratory descriptive research, I used two methods: participant observations and semi-structured interviews. The interviewee were 30 adults (men and women) residing in the place for at least two years, with or without historical of these diseases. My observations showed that the environmental area conditions were favorable to the proliferation and reproduction of these diseases. The results from the residents perception about both diseases demonstrated that most of interviewee identify it through its symptoms. 34% of the residents notice malaria by both vectors manifestations and its symptoms, while 50% notice dengue only by symptoms. The interviewee associated malaria mosquito, as well as the disease, as original from the "Forest", in other words, DFR natural environment. Whereas, dengue and its vector were related to stagnant water , accumulating in urbane area objects. The perceptions on prevention practices of these diseases showed smoke production (40%) and distance from Forest (30%) as predominant for malaria prevention, meantime, the prevention practices used for dengue were house and object cleaning (46%) and nets protection use (27%). Therefore this study shows distinct residents perceptions for both diseases and it emphasizes the importance of communities knowledge about malaria and dengue in risky areas. It shows the necessity of incorporating public politics dialog to the population practices. Using perceptions as subsidy, with population of those environments as participants agents of health actions and not only as audience of the public acting, control practices and prevention of these diseases will become more efficient, as well as health promotion.