ABSTRACT
The rural migration to urban centers occurred since the 40s in many Latin American countries, including Santiago the capital city of Chile, originated a growing belt of premises built with light poor material (the rests of previous rural habitations, mud, pieces of timber, plastic and card board for walls, and cane stalks and artificial clinkstones for roofs) giving raise to many types of slums. This situation facilitated the passive transport of the different instars, including eggs, of triatomine bugs. Due to the fact that in the 1959-1960 warm seasons, the Santiago Province health instituions had received an increasing reported number of triatomine bugs (Triatoma infestans) in dwellings from different periurban, even urban and rural section of the province, the central local health authorities with the advise of the University of Chile, Department of Parasitology decided to carry out an experimental program against these vectors of Chagas' disease. The program consisted basically in an spray and thorought application of liquid forms (emulsion, suspension, solution) of 1% lindane (average * 500 mg per 1 m*), depending on the material of the constructions, to all the surfaces of walls, ceilings, attics and peridomiciliary estructures of all the infested dwellings in a sector and those located less than 100 m around. In order to reach triatomine bugs not affected, for different reasons, in the first spraying, a second application, identical to the first was performed to the total number of premises between 30 and 120 days later. Periodical evaluations were made, and positive dwellings found and neighboring ones were sprayed again. During insecticide applications adequate protection measures for spraying workers, inhabitants, domestic animals, household goods and food were adopted. All the steps of the program were accompanied by health education activities directed to individuals, families, schools teachers and community institutions, tending to motivate the people to an active participation, as in the report of the presence or reapearing of triatomines in premises as in cooperating in the sprayings and improving the material conditions of their properties. Thus, in the period 1960-1972 the following goals were achieved: 1) Spraying twice with 1% lindane 32,708 dwellings located in 199 quarters from 26 periurban and rural sections. 2) Protection to 191,090 people against T. infestans bites and the eventual acquired chagasic infection. 3) Percentages of t
Subject(s)
Humans , Animals , Insect Control/methods , Hexachlorocyclohexane , Triatoma , Chagas Disease/prevention & control , Chile , Health Education , Insect Bites and Stings/prevention & controlABSTRACT
La hidatidosis humana causa serios problemas de salud en muchas regiones del mundo en desarrollo. En América Latina, los países que registran las tasas de infección más elevadas son la Argentina, el Brasil, Chile, el Perú y el Uruguay y, en menor escala, Bolivia, Colombia y el Paraguay. Debido al impacto que produce en el enfermo, su familia y la comunidad, se recalca la necesidad de aplicar el enfoque epidemiológico para el estudio de esta zoonosis y la importancia de contar con servicios de vigilancia epidemiológica que permitan la aplicación de medidas preventivas, curativas y de rehabilitación eficaces. La investigación científica continuada debe formar parte de todo programa de control de la hidatidosis con el fin de avanzar en el conocimiento de la enfermedad y los factores etiológicos, sociales, culturales y ambientales que contribuyen a su persistencia y diseminación en las áreas endémicas. Se debería asimismo continuar las investigaciones de nuevos métodos para la identificación de cepas diferentes de Echinococcus granulosus, que incluyen estudios metabólicos, cultivo in vitro y técnicas de electroforesis de proteínas e isoenzimas
Subject(s)
Echinococcosis , In Vitro Techniques , Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil , Chile , Colombia , Paraguay , Peru , UruguaySubject(s)
History, Ancient , History, Medieval , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History of Medicine , ChileSubject(s)
History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Physiology/history , Education, Medical/history , Chile , Nobel PrizeABSTRACT
Se presentan los antecedentes históricos de la educación médica en Chile, comenzando con el movimiento de renovación iniciado después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Se reseñan las conferencias, congresos y seminarios realizados desde 1951, que tuvieron un papel importante en el impulso del tema en América Latina. Dentre los problemas que subsisten se destacan: deficiencia de profesores y estudiantes tanto en cantidad como en la motivación para la aplicación de métodos activos de docencia; deficiencias técnicas y deterioro de recursos en los hospitales donde se practica la enseñanza clínica. La orientación de la enseñanza sigue centrándose en la enfermedad orgánica desvalorizando los aspectos psico-sociales, médico-preventivos y humanísticos. Se propone restablecer la regionalización docente asistencial y acentuar las investigaciones operacionales de educación médica y sus relaciones con la planificación de la salud