Analysis of knowledge of basic education students about dengue

Abstract

Dengue is a systemic disease caused by a virus. The transmission of viral disease occurs through mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. Currently, the dengue virus has started to spread in an eminent way in tropical and subtropical countries. Thus, dengue has been a worrying situation, since it has become a public health problem worldwide. Currently, we seek to control the disease and reduce the risks to human beings, since there is no cure so far. In this sense, socio-educational measures play an important role in combating disease vectors. The objective of the work was to evaluate the knowledge of dengue in the third year students of state schools in Macaé. Questionnaires were given to third year students at the State Schools Luiz Reid, Irene Meirelles and Matias Neto in Macaé. The questionnaire, composed of 13 multiple choice questions, was prepared based on the information expected from a third year student on the subject. After the application of the questionnaires, they were compensated and tabulated in the Excel® program (Windows 2013) for making graphs and tables. Based on the results, it was identified that students know that the causative agent of dengue is a virus (39%) and that the transmission of the disease occurs through the mosquito Aedes aegypti (54%). Students are still confused about the public health problems that contribute to the expansion of dengue, (3%) of them are unaware that the accumulated waste contributes to the expansion of the disease. The symptoms of dengue are still unknown by (19%) of the students, perhaps due to the lack of knowledge of the medical terms used. The means by which students hear about dengue varied between schools, with television and the school being the most cited media. Students recognize that dengue can be prevented and can cause death, but 18% responded that a focus of the disease has already been found in their home, despite saying that security measures are in place to prevent the mosquito from proliferating in their homes. It is concluded that most of the third year students of the state schools of Macaé have the basic knowledge about the transmission of dengue, however the topic needs to be better worked in some schools, as well as the students need to be more aware of the prevention measures spread of the disease in their homes.