Knowledge about clinical presentation, prevention strategies and sexual transmission of Zika virus infection among women of reproductive age in an endemic area

ABSTRACT Background The recognition of the causal association between Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy and congenital abnormalities including microcephaly underlines the importance of preventing this disease in pregnant women (PW) and women of childbearing age (WCA). Although Brazil and other Latin American countries reported a significant reduction in the number of ZIKV infections in recent years, epidemic waves can recur in settings with previous outbreaks as conditions for transmission remain optimal and susceptible populations are continuously replenished. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 64 PW and 260 non-pregnant WCA attending routine medical appointments in two primary care units in São Paulo, Brazil, and assessed knowledge and attitudes about ZIKV infection and prevention. Results: Most women reported knowing that ZIKV is transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitos, and most knew that acute symptoms are similar to those seen in Dengue infection. Furthermore, most participants correctly described that ZIKV infection during pregnancy may cause detrimental outcomes for the newborn. However, most ignored that ZIKV infection can be asymptomatic, and only 15% knew about the risk of ZIKV sexual transmission. We found no statistically significant differences between PW and WCA regarding knowledge about ZIKV sexual transmission. Knowledge about ZIKV sexual transmission was significantly associated with education; among participants with ≤12 schooling years, only 9.0% (95%CI 3.4-18.5%) correctly answered that ZIKV can be sexually transmitted, compared to 12.9% (95%CI 8.2-18.8%) among participants with 12-14 schooling years, and to 24.4% (95%CI 15.9-34.9%) of participants with ≥15 schooling years (p = 0.015). Education remained independently associated with knowledge about sexual transmission of ZIKV in a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for age, race and pregnancy status (p = 0.022). Conclusion: Our findings underscore the urgent need of educational and family planning programs that may help prevent detrimental outcomes of ZIKV infection in an endemic area of Brazil.

Atendimento à população de rua em um Centro de Saúde Escola na cidade de São Paulo / Health assistance to homeless people in a health unit in São Paulo city / Atención a la población que vive en las calles, en un centro de salud docent en la ciudad de São Paulo

O Centro de Saúde Escola Geraldo Honório de Paula Souza localiza-se na Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo, atende à população do território adjacente e contribui para a formação acadêmica na área da saúde. Também oferece assistência aos moradores em situação de rua da região de Pinheiros/Lapa e conta com o trabalho do Programa A Gente na Rua, parceria entre o Centro Social Nossa Senhora do Bom Parto e Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de São Paulo. O Programa é composto por três agentes comunitários de saúde e uma enfermeira, que realizam atendimento e acompanhamento a essa população no Centro de Saúde com as enfermeiras da unidade. Os agentes abordam os moradores de rua que, posteriormente, serão acompanhados tanto na unidade como nas visitas de rua realizadas pelos próprios agentes e pela enfermeira do Programa, considerando os princípios de eqüidade e universalidade do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS).

Geraldo Honório de Paula Souza health unit is located close to the Public Health College at University de São Paulo and has largely contributed to improve education in the health field. As it registers just population who live in a specific location nearly, it has also provided help to the homeless people in the area of Pinheiros couting on the support of the Program Gente de Rua, a partnership between Social Center Nossa Senhora do Bom Parto and Health Secretary of São Paulo municipality. This program consists of three communitarian agents and a nurse who take care of this population in the health center. The agents first contact homeless people who can be later assisted by a heath team in the unit. Assistance also includes visits by the agents and the nurse from the program, taking into consideration the principle of equity of Brazilian Unified Health System.

El centro de Salud Escuela Geraldo Honório de Paula Souza está localizado junto a la Facultad de Salud Pública de la Universidad de São Paulo atendiendo la población del territorio adyacente y contribuyendo para la formación académica en el área de la salud. También ofrece asistencia a los habitantes que viven en las calles de la región de Pinheiros y cuenta con el trabajo del Programa A Gente na Rua, una sociedad entre el Centro Social Nossa Senhora do Bom Parto y la Secretaría Municipal de Salud de São Paulo. Ese programa es compuesto por tres agentes comunitarios de salud y un enfermero que atienden y observan esa población en el centro de salud junto con las enfermeras de la unidad. Los agentes abordan a los habitantes que viven en las calles que posteriormente serán observados en la unidad y también en las visitas en las calles realizadas por los propios agentes y por lo enfermero del Programa, contemplando el principio de equidad del Sistema Único de Salud.