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Community perceptions of health and rodent-borne diseases along the Inter-Oceanic Highway in Madre de Dios, Peru

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dc.contributor.author Salmon-Mulanovich, Gabriela
dc.contributor.author Powell, Amy-R.
dc.contributor.author Hartinger Peña, Stella Maria
dc.contributor.author Schwarz, Lara
dc.contributor.author Bausch, Daniel-G.
dc.contributor.author Paz-Soldan Parlette, Valerie Andrea
dc.date.accessioned 2019-02-06T14:45:58Z
dc.date.available 2019-02-06T14:45:58Z
dc.date.issued 2016
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12866/5157
dc.description.abstract BACKGROUND: Madre de Dios is located in the southeastern Amazonian region of Peru. Rodents have been estimated to be the reservoirs for up to 50 % of emerging zoonotic pathogens, including a host of viruses, bacteria, and parasites. As part of a larger study involving both human and animal research, this study serves to obtain a broader understanding of the key challenges and concerns related to health and rodent-borne illnesses from the perspective of the people living in these communities. METHODS: We used a mixed methods approach, which comprised of 12 focus group discussions, 34 key informant interviews and the application of a survey (n = 522) in four communities along the Inter-Oceanic Highway (IOH) in Madre de Dios, Peru over a two-year period. RESULTS: Although 90 % of survey respondents answered that rodents can transmit diseases and had seen rodents in their homes and immediate surroundings, most could not name specific rodent-borne diseases and, when probed, described rodents as pests or nuisance animals, but were not concerned about acquiring illnesses from them. Key informant interview data suggests that there has been a perceived increase in the amount of rodents in the communities since the construction of the IOH, however this potential increase was not coupled with increased knowledge about diseases or perceived risks among these key informants. Health providers also mentioned a lack of diagnostic tools specific for rodent-borne illnesses. This may be related to the fact that although a common rodent-borne disease like leptospirosis is frequently detected in the region, it is not routinely and readily diagnosed, therefore the real burden of the disease and exposure risk can be underestimated. If rodent-borne diseases are not on the radar of health professionals, they may not consider presumptive treatment, which could result in unnecessary morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSION: Awareness of rodent-borne diseases is still lacking in the area, even among health care professionals within the communities, despite the known burden of diseases like leptospirosis. We expect to report further findings as we obtain more information from all the study components. en_US
dc.language.iso eng
dc.publisher BioMed Central
dc.relation.ispartofseries BMC Public Health
dc.rights info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es
dc.subject Disease Transmission, Infectious en_US
dc.subject Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice en_US
dc.subject Land use change en_US
dc.subject Longitudinal study en_US
dc.subject Qualitative methods en_US
dc.subject Residence Characteristics en_US
dc.subject Rodent-borne diseases en_US
dc.subject Rodentia en_US
dc.subject Animals en_US
dc.subject Communicable Diseases/psychology/transmission en_US
dc.subject Disease Reservoirs en_US
dc.subject Focus Groups en_US
dc.subject Humans en_US
dc.subject Perception en_US
dc.subject Peru en_US
dc.subject Research Design en_US
dc.subject Surveys and Questionnaires en_US
dc.title Community perceptions of health and rodent-borne diseases along the Inter-Oceanic Highway in Madre de Dios, Peru en_US
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3420-3
dc.subject.ocde https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#3.03.05
dc.relation.issn 1471-2458


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