Documento(s) 6 de 15

Introduction 
Impact 
Potential users 
Contact 
Resources 

Introduction 

• Spraying, using the insecticide Deltametrine; 

• Housing improvements to create a hostile environment for the insects.

• Plastering the walls and filling the joints between wood boards;

• Smoothing the roof and ceiling;

• Using light-coloured paint on the walls so insects are more visible;

• Improving ventilation and light with better doors and windows.

• Plastering and painting brick walls; plastering adobe and wattle walls using nails or small twigs to hold the plaster;

• Using bamboo cane as ceiling supports, which is then plastered with a cement and soil mixture;

• Finding the best natural, locally available additives for paint (such as cactus juice) that will prevent cracking;

• Finding the best plaster combinations and proportions (cement, sand, and lime) to prevent cracking;

• Installing a window in the kitchen for smoke to escape; bamboo canes in a netlike structure in the window can keep insects out while letting smoke escape;

• Using mosquito netting to keep insects out of the house.

• The improvements respect the original home and lifestyle of the inhabitants;

• Beauty and variety are maintained, and changes are more easily accepted;

• The value of the house increases; pride in their work increases the self-esteem of the inhabitants;

• New houses are often not adapted to the needs of the inhabitants.

Results of the research show that although the interventions can help reduce the incidence of Chagas' disease, they do not provide total insect control. The key to success is community involvement and co-operation. Because of the late onset of symptoms, Chagas' disease is not taken seriously by rural communities, which are more concerned with day-to-day survival than with a problem that will only emerge 15-to-20 years later. Strategies to combat the disease must be part of a holistic approach to community health, including programs to deal with such immediate concerns as maternal and child health, and the treatment of diarrhea and other infections. 

Impact

• Partnerships formed to promote Chagas'-resistant housing - The National University of Asuncion's Institute of Health Science Research is currently working with the Indigenous Mennonite Association (ASCIM) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on the Housing Improvement Programme, focusing on 100 houses in the Chaco region of Paraguay. Because there is no direct government financial support for housing improvements, the idea is to promote Chagas'-resistant home construction, featuring plaster walls and adequate ventilation, with an incentive. The Programme is donating a roof to every family that completes the rest of the house according to the required specifications. The homes of 10 000 people from 12 indigenous communities in the region were previously sprayed in two phases to rid them of parasite carrying insects. 

• Southern Cone co-operation - In 1991, Paraguay and five neighbouring countries began the Southern Cone initiative to eliminate Triatoma infestans. A campaign of chemical spraying resulted in fumigating 40 000 dwellings per year. 

• Project evaluation results - In 1994, a two-year evaluation study was begun by Dr. Rojas de Arias as part of his thesis work. He found that between 83-100% of the dwellings surveyed from the original project were free of tritomines, reflecting the long-term impact of the measures employed to battle the spread of Chagas' disease. The study revealed that the most effective intervention was combining house improvement and spraying, including spraying around the house perimeter. In fact, this spraying is considered crucial, because re-infestation of the area around a house leads to re-infestation inside the home. 

• Government involvement - In Paraguay, the Ministry of Health is currently supporting a program of congenital Chagas' disease diagnosis in endemic zones. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has included a section on Chagas' disease in elementary and high school curricula. 

Potential users

Communities and organizations working in the areas of health and housing throughout Latin America. 

Contact

Dr. Luis Rios 
Centro de Tecnologia Apropriada 
Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnologia 
Universidad Catolica de Paraguay 
Asunción, PARAGUAY 
Tel: (595-21) 913865 

Resources

Rojas de Arias, A. 1995. Chagas' disease control techniques in Paraguay. Thesis. School of Biological Sciences, Wales University. 262 pp. 

Rojas de Arias, A. 1997. Chagas' disease vector control through different intervention modalitites in endemic localities of Paraguay. Submitted to Tropical Medicine & International Health. 

From the IDRC library : 

Black, D.; Schofield, C.; Yarzabal, L. 1992.  Final report /Evaluation of the Chagas' disease prevention project. 1 v. (various pagings) 

Chagas' disease prevention via improved housing: executive abstract (Abstract of the Spanish version final report). 1994. Universidad Catolica, Asuncion.  19 pp.: ill. 

Chagas' project: Paraguay. 1987. 1 videocassette. (ca. 10 min.) 

Optimizacion del encofrado para tapial con miras al uso de esta innovacion tecnologica en proyectos de interes social. 1990. Universidad Catolica de Paraguay, Asuncion.  221 pp.: il. 

Rojas de Arias, A.; Ferro, E.A.; Simancas, L.C. 1994. Control de la enfermedad de Chagas a traves del mejoramiento de la vivienda : informe final; sectores salud y social. Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, Asuncion.  192 pp. 

International organizations: 

Pan American Health Organization 
525 Twenty Third St., N.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20037, USA 
Tel: (202) 974-3000; 
Fax: (202) 974-3663; 
Web site: http://www.paho.org/ 

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Documento(s) 6 de 15