By Andrea Hargraves 
The heat alone is worth the high alert. And this is what the Environmental Watchdog (VA) of São Leopoldo does: full attention to the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the insect that transmits dengue, Zika virus and chikungunya fever, since the summer period favors the breeding of mosquitoes. In addition to working daily at strategic points with junkyards, flower shops, and cemeteries, the VA team has been conducting a rapid catalog survey of Aedes aegypti, LIRAa, for two weeks so far in January.
Photo: archive / GES
The LIRAa result was released yesterday (25th) by the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMAD). As a result, São Leopoldo presented an average danger to the insect. In the same period last year, Libra showed a large number of iterations. to improve. 3001 visits were performed in 597 blocks, with 91 samples collected. Of those, 74 tested positive for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. In 2022, there will be 2,400 reported cases and four deaths due to dengue fever. According to the Minister of Health, Paula Silva, the result brings a warning.
“Summer is conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes. And any rain, even if it is not very heavy, is actually good for the accumulation of water and the hatching of eggs. That is why constant attention is needed. Visits from agents enhance care, but it is essential that residents check every day anything Clean water can accumulate in it, ”Paula confirms.
personified
She points out that this process makes it possible to diagnose the most vulnerable places for mosquito breeding. The work took place, by sampling, in all neighborhoods. Many residents have adopted the practice of placing pots under the air conditioning hose for water reuse, reports Endemic Disease Control Agent Kristian Sievinski, who participated in the visits.
Initiative can turn into a problem if precautions against dengue are not observed. “We have verified this behavior in several homes. There is no problem with water reuse. However, it cannot remain accumulating in the container, as it becomes a suitable breeding ground for Aedes,” Christian assures.
The next LIRAa, to collect immature forms of mosquitoes, larvae or pupae, will be held in May. The survey is a methodology recommended by the Ministry of Health to quickly determine the Building Infection Index (IIP), which helps guide control actions and evaluate activities.
Prevention and control work
Samsad confirms that vector control and prevention of Aedes aegypti is carried out through environmental monitoring based on the national guidelines for the prevention and control of dengue fever epidemics. Currently, the Leopoldense environmental monitoring team includes two biologists, a biology intern, two veterinarians, and 24 endemic disease control agents.
Prevention and control work is carried out daily through home visits and at strategic points. In this procedure, when mosquito outbreaks or potential breeding sites are found, the team carries out educational activities, removing breeding sites and collecting samples.
Population education approach
Another important measure adopted by Semsad and intensified since December last year in São Leopoldo involves a vigorous effort to raise public awareness at high traffic points in the city, such as the Trensurb stations – Estação Rio dos Sinos and Estação São Leopoldo, for example. The idea of the approach is to educate Leopold people about grooming inside the yard, inside the house. Everything is always done under the supervision of a team of agents to control endemic diseases. Correct information is always important.
59% increase in cases in Republika Srpska
The State Center for Health Surveillance (Cevs), of the Health Secretariat of Republika Srpska, issued a risk statement this week, recommending that municipalities and residents strengthen care against the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the disease. According to Cevs Deputy Director Marcelo Valandro, 202 cases were reported in the first three weeks of January, up 59% from the same period in 2022.
Twenty-three of the state’s 30 districts have reported cases above the upper limit of endemicity (LSE) in recent years. In the previous statement, referring to the period up to the fourteenth, there were 13 districts. “We assess the scenario on a weekly basis. At the beginning of the year, it is common to see an increase in cases of sexually transmitted viruses, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. 2022 saw the worst start, with a total of 66,888 confirmed cases and 66 confirmed cases,” Vallandro explained. “In 2022, we had the worst epidemic in 2023, and we really started with cases that exceeded expectations, which keeps us vigil,” he adds.
Watch for dengue symptoms
According to the SMSAD team, among the symptoms of dengue fever are headache, high fever, pain behind the eyes, muscle pain, joint pain, red spots on the skin, rash, nausea and vomiting. If any of these symptoms are present, the guidance is for the person to seek the BHU closest to where they live. And basic prevention: don’t let water accumulate.