Health Education x schistosomiasis: prevention and control of the disease as a tool to strengthen Health Surveillance in the north of Minas Gerais

Resumo

Introduction: Educational approaches are valuable actions for the control of endemic diseases, and should also be used in neglected diseases, which can be considered non-free and underreported, such as schistosomiasis in some parts of the country. Objectives: To understand the epidemiological profile of cases in the Pirapora Health Region – Minas Gerais; Check the response capacity of municipal teams to the existence of the problem; Assess, from the point of view of municipal teams, the need for health education approaches. Methodology/Development: To carry out the study, the territory was delimited, belonging to the northern macro-region of the state of Minas Gerais, covering seven municipalities: Buritizeiro, Ibiaí, Lassance, Pirapora, Ponto Chique, Santa Fé de Minas and Várzea da Palma. It has 51 Family Health Teams, estimated care coverage is 88%, with 7 Health Surveillance teams. The data was extracted from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), in the historical series from 2014 to 2023. Applied The Google Forms form was used, with qualitative assessment on the topic “Education and Health Promotion in Schistosomiasis” for municipal teams. Results: Cases were reported in 100% of the municipalities, with 29 notifications in the confirmed series. Of the total number of cases reported, the highest concentration occurred in the municipality of Pirapora with 11 notifications (38%), followed by the municipality of Ibiaí with 06 cases (11%). Regarding the question whether the schistosomiasis program is implemented in the municipal service, 83.30% highlighted yes; 50% reported that they report cases, with 83.30% stating that their teams are capable of reporting suspected cases; 100% of municipalities have an established notification flow to direct action. In general, 83.30% declared that they have average knowledge and capacity to respond to the problem and need partial support from the state, while 16.70% have low knowledge and need full support from the state to carry out program actions. Regarding education and health promotion actions, 100% of municipalities carry out such actions. Regarding the promotion of training, 100% of the municipalities highlighted that they need such an activity, which is routinely promoted by the State Department of Health of Minas Gerais. Conclusions: Although the study health region is not located in an unaffected area in the north of Minas Gerais, cases were reported in the municipalities. As it is not part of the scope of epidemic diseases in the study territory, the occurrence of specific cases may favor underreporting. There is a need to strengthen education and health promotion actions.