SCOPHIncomings: Accidents with pestilent animals in a riverside community – Brazil (IFMSA-Brazil)

Name of the activity: SCOPHIncomings: Accidents with pestilent animals in a riverside community

Country/NMO: Brazil (IFMSA-Brazil)

Program: Emergency, Disaster Risk & Humanitarian Action

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Campaign

General description:

Accidents with venomous animals are serious public health problems affecting the population of the tropical areas of the globe. Based on the reality of the Amazon rainforest, the SCOPHIncomings project emerged as an attempt to bring health education to the riverside communities of Cumbú Island, a risk group for this type of incident. The project created by IFMSA Brazil, UFPA committee, aimed at the detection of accidents, the demystification of wrong information and the dissemination of adequate procedures to be taken in this type of situation. Medical and pharmacy academics sought to guide the community through dialogue and a questionnaire with pertinent questions about venomous animals and the form of treatment to combat their venom. In addition, the exposure of the local reality to the Incomings added to the interaction and
the exchange of experiences were also one of the objectives of the activity successfully.

Focus area:

Disaster resilience (including prevention, preparedness and response)

Problem statement:

Accidents with venomous animals are serious public health problems affecting the population of the tropical areas of the globe. Based on the reality of the Amazon rainforest, the SCOPHIncomings project emerged as an attempt to bring health education to the riverside communities of Cumbú Island, a risk group for this type of incident. The project created by IFMSA Brazil, UFPA committee, aimed at the detection of accidents, the demystification of wrong information and the dissemination of adequate procedures to be taken in this type of situation. Medical and pharmacy academics sought to guide the community through dialogue and a questionnaire with pertinent questions about venomous animals and the form of treatment to combat their venom. In addition, the exposure of the local reality to the Incomings added to the interaction and
the exchange of experiences were also one of the objectives of the activity successfully.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

Community and Health students

Objectives and indicators of success:

– Train health professionals on how to differentiate accidents caused by various venenous species.
Seeking to develop a better service in the UBS of the island in relation to
accidents with venomous animals, teaching the population the basic guidelines of prehospital conduct in the event of an accident.
Offer to medical students an opportunity to learn more about the venomous animals of the region and how to treat their poisons.
Encourage integration between local committee members and the incomings by the exchange of experiences.
Learn about the main species in the countries of incomings and their reality
According to the data obtained by the questionnaires carried out before and after the project, the goals and objectives were reached, since in the beginning 60% of the population believed they could assist in the first care in the case of poisonous attacks, but the majority of the population could not identify poisonous animals and did not know the region’s toxicology center. In addition, 94.7% of participating medical students stated that this project went very important for the growth of medical knowledge, 57.9% of health professionals classified the project as excellent and 31.6% rated it as very good, proving , therefore, the fulfillment of the objectives of this project. Although it does not contain a large number of medical students from other NMOs through SCOPE (2 medical student) and medical students from IFMSA Brazil through SCONE (1 medical student), the exchange of experiences and work with the specific reality of this region contemplate the goal of insertion of medical students of another region of Brazil and the world in this context of public health in the north of Brazil.

Methodology:

Scophincommings was divided into four stages: planning, capacity building, action and impact assessment. In this way, it was tried to maintain the commitment, effectiveness and seriousness at all stages. As the planning began on the 23rd of May. Training will therefore have taken place with the specialist in the field of Amazonian entomology, Dr. Pedro Pardal. The coordination created also a support material after the training. The support material was delivered to all participants in printed form, but also, available in social media. It’s important to mention that activity integrated two courses of the health area – Pharmacy and Medicine.
The activity began with the capacitation that took place on June 29, 2017, at the Faculty of Medicine of UFPA, at 7:15 pm, with Dr. Pedro Pardal, a retired professor of medicine and coordinator of the Center for Toxicological Information of Belém (CIT- Belém). At that moment, the clinical and epidemiological aspects of the main accidents by venomous animals in the Amazon were discussed. This class was attended by 39 undergraduates in medicine and pharmacy, as well as other universities. After that first moment, a Whatsapp group was assembled with the participants for action information that would take place the following week. A support material was produced for the participants with the main points of the training, in order to direct the approach of the subject to the community of Combú Island. This material was also translated into English so the incomings could learn about the accidents caused by venomous animals in the Amazon.
The activity took place on July 8, 2017, at 7:30 am, with the initial meeting point being Princesa Isabel Square, where the boat departed with all participants, coordinators and incoming to the Island of Combú. Upon arrival at the site previously arranged with the Community Health Agent on the island, the community church was closed. Thus, a meeting was held with all and decided to visit the homes of the residents individually to explain and report on accidents by venomous animals. Before that, a review and clarification of doubts on the topics of the support material was done. Then the boat went to the house of the residents, and in each part of the community came down some double to talk with them. The conversation was made by a dynamic of questions and answers and in the end the number of the CIT-Belém was made public in cases of accidents or doubts on the subject. The action ended around noon with a conversation with the participants, who shared the experiences during the visitation of each resident. All the moments were translated and explained to the incoming that participated, aiming to show the reality of the community to her.

Plans for evaluation:

The impact assessment of the activity was done with the academic participants through a form that 19 students answered. The form have many questions as: 1. You believe that the activity achieved a positive impact in your personal and academic formation? 2. Would you classificate the training and activity in excellent, good, regular or bad?
The island’s residents had the impact assessed through interviews before and after the intervention. The questions made to them were: 1. You know what to do in a accident with snakes? 2. You know how to identify a venomous snake? 3. You know what are the effects of the “Jararaca” ( Bothrops) and “Surucucu”(Lachesis) poisons? 4. You know how to identify the snake that caused a accident according to the surroundings that it happened? 5. You know what is the clinical signal of victims of “Cascavel”(Crotalus) and “Coral”(Micrurus) accident’s? 6. You know the difference of victims of “Cascavel”(Crotalus) and “Coral”( Micrurus)? 7. Pregnants need serum? 8. You know when is necessary to administer serum to scorpion (Tityus) and brown spider (Loxosceles) and armor spider (Phoneutria)? 8. You know who is the fish in salt and fresh water that is responsible for the majority of the accidents? 9. You know what is the Toxicological Information Center, where you can report an accident and ask for serum therapy?