The group works to enhance procedures inside and outside the organization.

The group is organizing joint efforts to eliminate the outbreak (Photo: Disclosure/FMABC)

The rise in dengue cases has raised alarm bells in several areas of the country in the first months of 2024, including the Greater ABC Region. In an attempt to limit the impact of the epidemic, the FMABC University Center, in Santo André, created a Committee for Emergency, Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of the disease in February, and four months later the group’s actions have yielded good results.

The committee consists of eight staff members from various sectors of the educational institution, and holds regular meetings to align strategies to combat dengue outbreaks on campus, as well as create promotional materials to keep the academic community alert and prevent the emergence of mosquito breeding sites.

Since its inception, the committee has already organized two joint efforts to detect and eliminate breeding sites on the university campus grounds, and combined efforts to clean environments and ensure that areas are emptied of stagnant water. These measures have led to a significant reduction in the number of disease vectors in the physical space of the institution.

Recognizing the importance of raising awareness to effectively combat dengue, the group also partnered with students from different FMABC courses to impart knowledge about the disease and ways to prevent its spread. As a pilot project, students from the Pharmacy and Biomedical courses provided specific training on vector identification, mosquito life cycle, mosquito control methods, and clinical signs of dengue.

Knowledge has also been transferred outside the walls of the educational institution. In partnership with the Rondon Project, students of medicine and physiotherapy courses had the opportunity to update their knowledge of dengue fever and provide the population of Morro da Quebon, in Santo André, with the best ways to eradicate the outbreak.

FMABC staff also underwent training and their knowledge was tested through a “quiz,” in which they answered questions on how to protect themselves from mosquito bites, how to prevent the spread of the disease, and what medications should not be used in suspected cases.

The success of the actions implemented by the Foundation Committee has encouraged it to continue and expand the project in the coming months, given that the fight against dengue continues. “Our plan is to continue monitoring potential contamination points and eliminate breeding sites to reduce the chances of mosquitoes breeding as much as possible, in addition to involving more Foundation courses in this project,” explains the Foundation President Alaide Madere Braga Vidal. Committee.