Investigation and control of scabies epidemics: an educative experience in an indigene village

Abstract

This work reports on an epidemic of scabies in a village of the tribe Panará, located in Xingu, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The educational strategies utilized and the difficulties found to obtain the adhesion of the comunity for the therapeutics actions, essentials to the control of the epidemic are discussed. These strategies, based on an conceptual framework for education in health rooted on the respect for the knowledge, values and necessities of the group, considered the participation of the comunity an essential element for the the adjustment of the initial plan. The actions and combined decisions of health profissionals, local leaderships and target population, made possible the investigation and the control of the epidemic.