The dog is not the villain: let´s talk about leishmaniasis?

Abstract

Nowadays, pets are considered members of the family, living with them provides numerous benefits to humans, however if dog and cat tutors do not have adequate information about responsible tutoring, these animals may be susceptible to abuse, abandonment and zoonoses. Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in Brazil is a zoonosis commonly caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and transmitted through the blood meal of female sandflies of the genus Lutzomia spp. This disease has a high mortality in humans and dogs, being considered a pathology of great importance for public health. In regions of North-eastern Brazil, a large number of non-domiciled animals are observed, in addition, visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in dogs and humans in this region, so the actions developed in this work aimed to raise awareness of dog tutors from the Northeast region, specifically from the high sergipano hinterland, about visceral leishmaniasis, demonstrating the etiology, measures of control and prevention of the disease. For this, activities were carried out at important events in the municipality, actions at the Federal University of Sergipe and visits to schools in the region. An average of 200 adults and 600 children were informed about ways to control and prevent the disease, in addition, these actions also aimed to educate that the disease is not transmitted through direct contact with the dog. This work contributed to the process of transforming the attitudes of the local population towards zoonosis, visceral leishmaniasis and responsibility towards animals, because these themes are essential for improving animal welfare and public health.