SOROPREVALÊNCIA DA DOENÇA DE CHAGAS E O NÍVEL DE CONHECIMENTO SOBRE A DOENÇA ENTRE TRABALHADORES RURAIS DE SERRANÓPOLIS, GOIÁS

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.35425230410

• Palavras-chave: Atividade Rural; Educação em Saúde; Trypanosoma cruzi.

• Keywords: Rural Activity; Health Education; Trypanosoma cruzi.

• Abstract: Chagas disease is an illness discovered in 1909 that affects approximately 20 million people worldwide, mainly in Latin America. The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is responsible for the disease, and its transmission occurs mainly through the feces and/or urine of infected hematophagous triatomines. While surveillance, control and prevention efforts have helped reduce transmission, there is still a lack of investment in education and awareness to combat misinformation. This study evaluated the prevalence of CD in rural workers at a power plant in Serranópolis-GO and investigated the workers' level of knowledge about the disease. The serological test used was the recombinant Chagatest® v.3.0 ELISA, and statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test (χ²). The study involved 127 farmworkers, none of whom tested positive for CD, but 75.60% of whom were unfamiliar with the disease. The results showed significant statistical differences between age groups, housing history, length of rural activity and presence of the vector in the residence or workplace. The lack of information about the disease was more prevalent among younger workers and those with less time working in rural areas. Furthermore, most workers reported consuming game meat, which is associated with CD transmission in endemic areas. Thus, there is a need to promote educational health measures, which can contribute to minimizing risks from vectors.