HUMAN RABIES AND TRANSMISSION OF THE RABIC VIRUS BY BATS: WHAT IS KNOWN AND HOW IS THE POPULATION OF A MUNICIPALITY AT RISK IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON INFORMED?

Abstract

This observational cross-sectional study, with a sample of 377 individuals randomly selected through proportional stratified sampling, aimed to verify what the population of Curuçá, a municipality in the Amazon region of Pará, where attacks by bats rank second in reports of attacks by animals, knows about the transmission, prevention and risks of rabies, especially that transmitted by bats, as well as to identify the means of communication used by the population to obtain information about the disease and news in general. The interviewees answered a semi-structured questionnaire to assess what they knew about rabies and the means used to obtain this information. It was found that the majority of the interviewees (72.9%) stated that they knew what rabies is, although they knew little about related aspects such as reservoirs, forms of transmission and symptoms, in addition to not having self-care practices for prevention. Bats were the second most common animal in reports of attacks (24.6%) and most of the interviewees (67.9%) were unaware of the rabies outbreaks that occurred in the state of Pará in 2004 and 2005, despite the municipality being located in a mesoregion neighboring the location of the outbreaks. This study concluded that the knowledge of the population of Curuçá about rabies is limited, obtained mainly within their own circle of acquaintances, through personal contacts. As for the mass media, it was found that they prefer to obtain information through means that do not require reading, such as television and radio. This study indicates which content needs to be accessible to this population and which means of communication would be most effective in this sociogeographic and cultural context.