Setting priorities for surveillance, prevention, and control of zoonoses in Bogotá, Colombia Establecimiento de prioridades en la vigilancia, la prevención y el control de las zoonosis en Bogotá, Colombia

• Main Authors: Natalia Cediel, Luis Carlos Villamil, Jaime Romero, Libardo Renteria, Daniele De Meneghi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2013
• Subjects: Zoonosis; prioridades en salud; conocimientos; actitudes y prácticas en salud; Colombia; América del Sur; Zoonoses; health priorities; health knowledge; attitudes; practice; South America; Medicine; R; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic; Kap
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/c68884c6161d4211b17330f3cc506a3b

OBJECTIVE: To establish priorities for zoonoses surveillance, prevention, and control in Bogotá, Colombia. METHODS: A Delphi panel of experts in veterinary and human medicine was conducted using a validated prioritization method to assess the importance of 32 selected zoonoses. This exercise was complemented by a questionnaire survey, using the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) methodology, administered in 19 districts of Bogotá from September 2009 to April 2010 to an at-risk population (workers at veterinary clinics; pet shops; butcher shops; and traditional food markets that sell poultry, meat, cheese, and eggs). A risk indicator based on level of knowledge about zoonoses was constructed using categorical principal component and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Twelve experts participated in the Delphi panel. The diseases scored as highest priority were: influenza A(H1N1), salmonellosis, Escherichia coli infection, leptospirosis, and rabies. The diseases scored as lowest priority were: ancylostomiasis, scabies, ringworm, and trichinellosis. A total of 535 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Respondents claimed to have had scabies (21%), fungi (8%), brucellosis (8%), and pulicosis (8%). Workers with the most limited knowledge on zoonoses and therefore the highest health risk were those who 1) did not have a professional education, 2) had limited or no zoonoses prevention training, and 3) worked in Usme, Bosa, or Ciudad Bolívar districts. CONCLUSIONS: According to the experts, influenza A(H1N1) was the most important zoonoses. Rabies, leptospirosis, brucellosis, and toxoplasmosis were identified as priority diseases by both the experts and the exposed workers. This is the first prioritization exercise focused on zoonoses surveillance, prevention, and control in Colombia. These results could be used to guide decision-making for resource allocation in public health. OBJETIVO: Establecer prioridades en la vigilancia, la prevención y el control de las zoonosis en Bogotá, Colombia. MÉTODOS: Se ...