An intersectoral strategy for dengue control in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais), Brazil

Abstract

The high larvae rates found in the city of Belo Horizonte (Southeastern Brazil) and the complexity of environmental factors related to Aedes aegypti proliferation and survival led the municipal government authorities to adopt integrated policies and add partners to define effective actions for dengue control, establishing in 2007 the Executive Group for Dengue Control - GECD. This paper offers a descriptive study which analyzes the documents of GECD - reports, minutes, evaluations - and describes interventions in the years of 2007 and 2008 that resulted in: cleaning efforts; civil society mobilization; surveillance activities intensification; activities in schools; conjunction with private companies, state and federal bureaus; health care; and media. Belo Horizonte's experience, with the strengthening of internal groups for discussion, enabled decision-making in a more agile way, and demonstrated an improvement in the implementation of prevention and control actions. It also allowed the emergence of issues and challenges to be faced in the development of intersectoral management in dengue control.