1. Vector blood meals are an early indicator of the effectiveness of the Ecohealth approach in halting Chagas transmission in Guatemala
- Author
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Mariele J. Pellecer, Patricia L. Dorn, Dulce Maria Bustamante, M. Carlota Monroy, and Antonieta Rodas
- Subjects
Chagas disease ,Veterinary medicine ,Insecticides ,Time Factors ,National Health Programs ,Trypanosoma cruzi ,Psychological intervention ,EcoHealth ,Biology ,Insect Control ,law.invention ,law ,Risk Factors ,Virology ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Chagas Disease ,Triatoma ,Population Density ,Human blood ,Feeding Behavior ,Articles ,medicine.disease ,Blood meal ,biology.organism_classification ,Guatemala ,Insect Vectors ,Infectious Diseases ,Transmission (mechanics) ,Blood ,Vector (epidemiology) ,Housing ,Parasitology ,Program Evaluation - Abstract
A novel method using vector blood meal sources to assess the impact of control efforts on the risk of transmission of Chagas disease was tested in the village of El Tule, Jutiapa, Guatemala. Control used Ecohealth interventions, where villagers ameliorated the factors identified as most important for transmission. First, after an initial insecticide application, house walls were plastered. Later, bedroom floors were improved and domestic animals were moved outdoors. Only vector blood meal sources revealed the success of the first interventions: human blood meals declined from 38% to 3% after insecticide application and wall plastering. Following all interventions both vector blood meal sources and entomological indices revealed the reduction in transmission risk. These results indicate that vector blood meals may reveal effects of control efforts early on, effects that may not be apparent using traditional entomological indices, and provide further support for the Ecohealth approach to Chagas control in Guatemala.
- Published
- 2013