InterAmerican Journal of Medicine and Health

Adequação às diretrizes de rastreio para câncer de mama em município de médio porte no Estado de São Paulo

Maryara Gomes do Prado Paraíso — 2024-09-09

Estudo de corte transversal realizado para avaliar a adequação ao rastreamento para câncer de mama em Sumaré́–SP. Foram levantados dados de 6.620 mulheres. A maioria das mamografias (61,4%) foram realizadas entre 50-69 anos e a maioria dos exames suspeitos também se concentrou nessa faixa etária (60%). Mulheres jovens têm mais risco de apresentar mamografias inconclusivas BIRADS®0 (p=0,0001). Houve mais diagnósticos de câncer entre os exames de rastreamento (2–71,8%) que entre os exames oportunísticos (11–28,2%), p=0,03. Houve mais diagnósticos de câncer de mama acima dos 50 anos (68,4%) que nas mulheres mais jovens (31,6%), p=0,03.

Self-medication for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 like illness in Nampula City, Mozambique

Gerson Afai — 2024-06-24

Medicines are an essential part of healthcare for maintaining life, but the lack of knowledge about the self-medication risks, and the health facility wait time can influence self-medication.

As part of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance efforts, we used a semi-structured questionnaire of closed questions to conducted interviews in five pharmacies in Nampula City about self-medication increase, in June 2020, during the emergency of COVID-19. From March to June 2020, most of interviewed pharmacies (3/5) verified an increase in self-medication. The most common medicines bought by the costumers were anti-flu (4/5) and antibiotics (3/5). People who self-medicated reported flu-like-symptoms (5/5) and cough (4/5). We recommend pharmacies to refer people who were seeking to self-medicate and who presented COVID-19-like signs and symptoms to the health facility for testing.

Updating the breeding sites of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Camagüey, Cuba

Lorenzo Diéguez-Fernàndez — 2024-06-24

Mosquito-borne diseases continue to be of significant public health concern in various parts of the world, facilitated by the adaptations that certain species, such as Aedes aegypti, have managed to develop. In order to update the bioecological knowledge of A. aegypti populations in a Health Area of Camagüey Province, Cuba, a comprehensive entomological survey was conducted both indoors and outdoors, covering the entire urban population, encompassing a total of 36,584 households. Aedes aegypti colonized 52 types of breeding sites, of which 15 were found to be permanent and suitable (29.0%), contributing 82.0% of the positivity. Low tanks were particularly prominent (43.0%). Positivity in natural breeding sites remained low (0.11%). Larvae were collected in habitats with high levels of eutrophication (17.30%), grouped in 28 positive breeding sites, accounting for 3.32% of the total number of positive sites. No differences were observed in the total number of positive breeding sites and capture locations between climatic seasons, indicating a consistent pattern of positivity throughout the study year, during which six types of breeding sites exceeded a 70% monthly repetitiveness. These results underscore the importance of vigilance and control measures to be undertaken by residents in their respective households.

Assessing the effectiveness, biosafety, and resident’s perception of a micro-encapsulated propoxur paint against Aedes aegypti: a field trial in a dengue-affected community of Sonora, Mexico

Alejandro Villegas-Trejo — 2024-06-24

Mosquito-borne diseases remain a major public health concern in the Region of the Americas. Concerning dengue, Mexico ranked as the third American country with the highest number of cases in 2023, following Brazil and Peru. In this sense, the development and production of safer, eco-friendly, cost-effective, more efficient, and target-specific insecticides have become essential in disease control strategies. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of indoor micro-encapsulated propoxur paint against Aedes aegypti, estimate residents' exposure via cholinesterase levels, and gauge resident perceptions in the rural village Poblado Miguel Alemán (PMA), Sonora, Mexico. Houses in PMA were organised into four blocks for a field trial, with different treatments on interior walls: 1) full insecticide paint coverage; 2) insecticide paint applied up to 1 meter; 3) full indoor residual spraying; and 4) no treatment (control). Mosquito surveys were conducted before and after interventions. Blood samples from residents were analysed for cholinesterase levels, while perceptions were gathered through a questionnaire. Aedes resting density correlated closely with the paint formulation and coverage. Full-surface insecticide paint showed the greatest reduction. Both paint interventions notably impacted Aedes breeding, with substantial reductions in House Index (20.1% IP, 31.2% IP 1 m) and Container Index (51.8% IP, 61.7% IP 1 m) compared to the control over one year. Post-intervention blood cholinesterase activity remained within acceptable limits. Over 80% of residents expressed satisfaction with the interventions. The use of propoxur paint proves to be a safe, effective, and well-accepted method for decreasing Ae. aegypti populations in urban areas.