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In a summer epidemic that posed significant risks to pregnant women and their fetuses, 29 people in Miami-Dade County were infected with Zika virus between late June and early August 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Disease Control. Prevention.
To understand people's perceptions, behaviors and knowledge about the epidemic, and whether media campaigns have helped educate the public about the virus, a research team led by the University of Miami Assistant Professor of Geography and Regional Studies Imelda Moise surveyed 149 women and 113 men in about 262 county households.
According to their findings, women with a bachelor's degree and men who knew someone at high risk were more likely to have knowledge or concerns about it
. Using the health belief model, the survey included questions as simple as: Have you ever heard of the Zika virus? About how many cases of Zika are in Miami-Dade? If a pregnant woman has Zika, what are the risks for her fetus / baby? Are you confident that you can protect yourself and your family members from the Zika virus?
"Men worried about the prevention of Zika virus, especially if they knew a pregnant woman or a pregnant acquaintance," adds Moise. messages that respond to the different needs, attitudes, knowledge and perceptions of the target audience are the most effective. "Targeted interventions for prevention and treatment by sex, as well as the level of education, should certainly be taken into account by local governments, especially if there is another epidemic."
Study also found a higher percentage of women (53.7%) (42.5%) considered Zika as a serious illness and more women than men were afraid to contract the virus. In addition, the survey indicated that more women than men were convinced that they could protect their family members against the Zika by taking protective measures, such as checking and draining the family. stagnant water and use repellents and mosquito nets.
Regarding mosquito control efforts, said Moise, there is a tendency to think that a one size fits all. "For example," she said, "there is a sense that the risk is the same everywhere, especially when mosquito control officials release aerial insecticides over large areas. Our study implies that there needs to be more specific evidence regarding the link between individual and neighborhood socio-demographic characteristics and the practices implemented by local governments to prevent another Zika epidemic. "
Epidemic, Miami-Dade County, Florida" is published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Moise's collaborators in the study are Ira Sheskin, Douglas Fuller and Tricia Caroline S. G. Hutchings of the University of Miami, and Joseph Kangmennaang of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
Source: University of Miami
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