Comprehensive prevention of arboviruses in Cuba: the role of education

Abstract

Arboviruses are a group of viral diseases transmitted by female mosquitoes, mainly of the Aedes aegypti species and to a lesser extent by Aedes albopictus; they have achieved rapid spread in all regions in recent years. They are widespread in the tropics, given local variations in risk that depend largely on precipitation, temperature, and rapid unplanned urbanization. Currently, they constitute the most important vector-borne diseases in the region of the Americas. In this article, the author exposes the importance of preventing arboviruses, taking into account that it is based on developing resources that can prevent the appearance of the disease. Educating in health presupposes developing knowledge, habits, skills, and favorable attitudes towards health and healthy lifestyles; hence, the possibilities of the school as the most important cultural institution in a community are taken advantage of, where all alliances for health are articulated for the formation of a general culture of students, of which the health culture possible to develop from the earliest ages is part. Research methods at the theoretical and empirical level of knowledge made it easier to identify the problem and the references for its solution from the health sciences.