Environmental Health Surveillance Agents receive training to inspect homes in DF

The 139 Environmental Health Surveillance (Avas) agents recently hired by the Department of Health (SES-DF) received, this week (8), training to inspect homes and collect data on the breeding sites of the mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya, zika and yellow fever.

The new servers add to another 364 Avas on the network. Together, the agents will carry out, between May 13th and 17th, the Rapid Index Survey for the Aedes aegypti (LIRAa), in households drawn throughout all administrative regions of the Federal District. “Based on these results, we were able to guide health professionals and envision public policies regarding the organization of both internal services and extramural actions”, explains the director of Environmental Health Surveillance (Dival) at SES-DF, Kenia Cristina de Oliveira.

The training was given by the department’s biologist Israel Martins Moreira. The specialist emphasizes that the course is essential for Avas to be able to identify mosquito larvae properly and identify the main sources of arboviruses. “This way, we will have an overview of the cities in the DF, so that we know how to prioritize which region needs to receive an intensification of services, such as prevention and control”, he says.

Satisfaction in helping

Among the new Avas hired by SES-DF is Daniela Gadelha Lopes, 26. Graduated in Public Health from the University of Brasília (UnB), the professional says she is pleased to be able to participate in prevention efforts. “It’s very gratifying, because I feel like I’m containing the dengue epidemic, protecting communities, doing my part and also teaching the population how to do their part.”

Avas’ actions go beyond dengue prevention, including the survey of biological and non-biological factors that may cause diseases in society, as well as the control of endemic diseases, zoonoses and other measures in line with the guidelines of the Unified Health System (SUS) . “Our mission is to prevent the population from getting sick and needing to go to hospitals, congesting the health system as a whole”, adds the new agent.