RESUMO
Human health risk in urban areas depends on multiple environmental features. We performed a year-round survey in a highly urbanized district located in temperate Argentina (General San Martín, Buenos Aires) to establish baseline information about environmental hazards associated with health risks. Sampling was stratified into low and high hazardous zones according to estimated indexes previously developed for the area for four hazards: drinking water and air pollution, and mosquito and rodent infestation. Water from wells showed lower concentrations of aluminum, manganese and iron, and higher values of arsenic than tap samples, with the latter showing records above the maximum permitted for arsenic, aluminum and chromium. Benzene concentration in air was higher in summer than in winter, and in areas close to dumps and landfills, gas stations, high traffic pathways and industries with respect to low hazard areas. Adult mosquito collections were more abundant in high hazardous areas, three species from the genus Culex dominated the captures and the proportion of individuals from each species was variable seasonally and spatially. Rodent activity was recorded inside and outside dwellings, and its observed values did not differ between low and high hazardous areas. In the comparison between field data and estimated hazard maps, high accuracy was obtained for air pollution maps, intermediate accuracy for water pollution and mosquito infestation, and poor accuracy for rodent infestation. How to improve field surveys and estimated maps are both discussed, highlighting the need for dynamic feedback between GIS-based models and environmental monitoring.
Assuntos
Poluição do Ar , Saúde Pública , Animais , Argentina , Monitoramento Ambiental/métodos , Estações do AnoRESUMO
Commensal rodents are some of the main vertebrate pests in urban areas; however, knowledge about factors that favor them at large scales is scarce. We studied spatial and temporal variations in rodent infestation levels at the whole city scale using the complaints of rodent sightings and questionnaire surveys to city neighbors. Demographic, socio-economic, and environmental characteristics handled with a geographic information system were evaluated as possible indicators of rodent infestation. The number of rodent sightings was lower in months with low mean temperature with two months time lag and higher in areas with high number of meat and metal industries. Rodent infestation estimated by the questionnaire survey showed spatial autocorrelation defining large areas with similar infestation levels. It decreased when the apartment density increased, while increased when the proportion of area occupied by shantytowns, the density of meat industries, and the proportion of area occupied by moderate urban development increased. Rodent control programs at the whole city level would have better results if public health pest agencies and/or governments will focus the efforts on areas with more precarious conditions as well as the industrial areas in the cold season when have lower rodent abundances.
Assuntos
Cidades/estatística & dados numéricos , Meio Ambiente , Roedores , Estações do Ano , Animais , Argentina/epidemiologia , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Análise Espaço-TemporalRESUMO
Rodents are responsible for the transmission of more than 60 diseases both to human beings and to domestic animals. The increase in rodent infestation in a given area brings several health problems to the nearby population. Thus, when infestation increases, it is time to take intervention measures. Although many countries have implemented programs aimed at controlling rodent infestation, literature on studies evaluating the effectiveness of intervention measures in urban areas is scarce. Aimed at contributing to the understanding of rodents population dynamics in urban areas, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the control methods proposed by Programa de Vigilancia e Controle de Roedores do Municýpio de Sao Paulo (Program for Rodents Surveillance and Control in Sao Paulo Municipality), conducted on Jardim Comercial District. As a first step, a survey to assess infestation rates was conducted in 1529 dwellings located in the area studied. After that, a chemical control upon rodents was accomplished in every dwelling infested. One week and six months after completion of control measures, a new evaluation on infestation rates was carried out, in order to verify the effectiveness of the procedures taken and to estimate the re-infestation capacity. Initial infestation rate was 40.0%, and the final infestation rate, 14.4%. Therefore, the effectiveness of the control methods utilized was 63.8%. It can thus be concluded that the control methods applied were quite effective.
Assuntos
Animais , Controle de Roedores , Doenças dos Roedores , Roedores , BrasilRESUMO
Rodents are responsible for the transmission of more than 60 diseases both to human beings and to domestic animals. The increase in rodent infestation in a given area brings several health problems to the nearby population. Thus, when infestation increases, it is time to take intervention measures. Although many countries have implemented programs aimed at controlling rodent infestation, literature on studies evaluating the effectiveness of intervention measures in urban areas is scarce. Aimed at contributing to the understanding of rodents population dynamics in urban areas, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the control methods proposed by Programa de Vigilancia e Controle de Roedores do Municýpio de Sao Paulo (Program for Rodents Surveillance and Control in Sao Paulo Municipality), conducted on Jardim Comercial District. As a first step, a survey to assess infestation rates was conducted in 1529 dwellings located in the area studied. After that, a chemical control upon rodents was accomplished in every dwelling infested. One week and six months after completion of control measures, a new evaluation on infestation rates was carried out, in order to verify the effectiveness of the procedures taken and to estimate the re-infestation capacity. Initial infestation rate was 40.0%, and the final infestation rate, 14.4%. Therefore, the effectiveness of the control methods utilized was 63.8%. It can thus be concluded that the control methods applied were quite effective.