"I found out about Zika virus after she was born." Women's experiences of risk communication during the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil, Colombia, and Puerto Rico.

Providing accurate, evidence-based information to women with Zika infection during pregnancy was problematic because of the high degree of uncertainty in the diagnosis of the infection and the associated risk. The 2015-17 Zika virus epidemic overwhelmingly affected women in countries with limited access to safe abortion. Understanding women's perspectives on risk communication during pregnancy in the context of an emerging pathogen can help inform risk communication in response to future outbreaks that affect fetal or child development. We conducted a cross-sectional qualitative interview study with 73 women from 7 locations in Brazil, Colombia, and Puerto Rico to understand women's experiences of Zika virus (ZIKV) test and outcome-related communication during the ZIKV pandemic. We used thematic analysis to analyze the in-depth interviews. Participants in Brazil and Colombia reported that the healthcare system's lack of preparation and organization in communicating ZIKV test results and associated adverse outcomes led to their feeling abandoned and alone in confronting the challenges of a ZIKV-affected pregnancy. In contrast, participants in Puerto Rico reported that the regular testing schedules and clear, well-planned communication between the care team and between providers and pregnant women helped them to feel they could prepare for a ZIKV-affected pregnancy. Communication of the risk associated with an emerging pathogen suspected to affect pregnancy and developmental outcomes is a fraught issue. Public health authorities and healthcare providers should work together in the interpandemic period to understand families' preferences for risk communication during pregnancy in the presence of uncertainty and develop a community-informed plan for risk communication.

Significados de las fiebres del dengue, chikungunya y zika e itinerarios terapéuticos en un municipio endémico de Colombia / Meanings of dengue, chikungunya and zika and therapeutic itineraries in a Colombian endemic municipality

Resumen Investigación cualitativa para dilucidar construcciones sociales sobre el dengue, chikungunya y zika en un municipio endémico de Colombia. Participaron 61 personas con experiencia subjetiva de enfermedad. Se emplearon entrevistas semiestructuradas y abiertas, diálogos informales y registro de notas de observación. El análisis se realizó siguiendo el método inductivo de la investigación social. Se evidencian dos maneras de entender el dengue: como una enfermedad "normal" o como una enfermedad grave que puede causar la muerte. El chikungunya y el zika son concebidas como enfermedades nuevas, de difícil reconocimiento, que caen en el olvido social ante la baja ocurrencia de casos. Se identifican dos itinerarios terapéuticos frente a las tres enfermedades, mediados por la gravedad de los síntomas y la percepción de la atención recibida por los servicios sanitarios. Las droguerías se configuran como un elemento clave de los itinerarios terapéuticos. Se concluye que la construcción social de estas enfermedades está atravesada por una tensión entre el reconocimiento y el olvido. Las políticas y acciones públicas tendientes a la prevención y el control de estos eventos tienen el reto de enfrentar el "olvido" que trae la cotidianidad, por tanto no deben limitarse a abordajes que ignoran las maneras en que las enfermedades son vividas y afrontadas.

Abstract Qualitative research to elucidate social constructions about dengue, chikungunya and zika in an endemic municipality of Colombia. Sixty-one people with subjective experience of disease participated. Semi-structured and open interviews, informal dialogues and observation notes record were used. The analysis was performed following the inductive method of social research. Two ways of understanding dengue are evident: as a "normal" disease or as a serious disease that can cause death. Chikungunya and zika are conceived as new diseases, difficult to recognize, that fall into social oblivion due to the low occurrence of cases. Two therapeutic itineraries for the three diseases are identified, mediated by the severity of the symptoms and the perception of the attention received by the health services. Drugstores are configured as a key element of therapeutic itineraries. It is concluded that the social construction of these diseases is crossed by a tension between recognition and forgetfulness. Public policies and actions aimed at the prevention and control of these events have the challenge of facing the "forgetfulness" that daily life brings, therefore they should not be limited to approaches that ignore the ways in which diseases are lived and faced.