Peasants’ Awareness of Chagas’ Disease

When Chagas’ disease control was begun in 1989, it presented additional challenges, which Sensano explains:

Adding Chagas’ disease control to PBCM was a challenge, because it involved changing houses and habits of peasants. Deeply rooted cultural patterns needed to be changed and housing behaviors needed to be modified. Fumigation and housing improvement requires cost‑sharing. Eradication of triatomines is only one step that needs to be followed up with vigilance, refumigating, and housing hygiene (Sensano interview 6/16/91).

With such complexity in mind, Sensano, Rivas, and Martinez decided to initially limit their Chagas’ disease control efforts to four communities, which they selected according to the following criteria: high incidence of Chagas’ disease, semi‑nucleated communities, similar socioeconomic levels, little possibility of outside asistance, accessibility, and a favorable response to first efforts at concientización, or consciousness‑raising (Rivas et al. 1990:4). They chose the communities of Puente Sucre (Yotala zone), Tambo Acachila (Yotala zone), La Mendoza (Yamparaez zone), and Choromomo (Tarabuco zone). The activities of the project consisted in concientización, forming house‑improvement committees, and actually improving houses.