A leishmaniose visceral humana e o desafio da intersetorialidade no município de Araguaína - Tocantins

Abstract

Human visceral leishmaniasis (LVH) is an endemic disease of public health importance with high lethality when not treated and increasing dissemination for decades. It is difficult to control since its transmission process involves several biological, social, cultural and environmental factors. The efficiency of public health programs depend on good territorial management, and this management requires integrated actions backing up the need for intersectoral and interdisciplinary work that is not limited to the dichotomous vision that has been often produced in health in Brazil. This research intends to understand the importance of intersectoriality in fighting the LVH epidemic in Araguaína -Tocantins in the different fields of health care, as well as verifying which barriers have been perceived among the health care sectors in the face of the LVH epidemic. In knowing this context, solutions can be sought so that intersectorality is efficient in achieving the reduction of the disease rates in Araguaína. The study is of a quali-quantitative nature, of an exploratory and descriptive type, as this category allows building a more complete view of research. Ten semi-structured interviews were carried out to coordinate the Control Center of Zoonosis (CCZ) and professionals in the primary, secondary and tertiary care of the disease in the county. When analyzing the territorial management regarding the distribution of health units in Araguaína, issues were raised such as the overload of emergency care due to the existence of only one Emergency Care Unit known as UPA in the town and the need to open new Basic Health Units known as UBS due to population growth in the county. When seeking to identify cultural factors for the formulation of intersectoral actions, situations such as uneffective communication in health management and between health sectors in the county, were pointed out by the interviewed professionals. To achieve effective control of LVH, it is necessary to act in ways to incorporate the particularities of each context, each territory, create dialogic and participatory processes between members of the community and health services and other sectors that will surely have to be activated , considering the complexity of the disease.