Household Dengue Prevention Interventions in Eco-BioSocial Aspect in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Abstract

Control of dengue at the household level is the success key in reducing the incidence of dengue fever. However, relatively little information is known about the control intervention of Ae. aegypti in communities that have limited resources, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The survey was conducted on 83 households in a high-risk community dengue fever in Semarang City, regarding knowledge and perceptions of dengue fever, vector control interventions, household expenditures, barriers, and factors that influence purchasing decisions. The results indicated that perceptions of dengue susceptibility decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic (88.1% to 66.3%). Households reported the most control intervention during the pandemic was using mosquito repellent lotion/burn/spray, the use of mosquito nets is still low (42.2%), and 47% due to changes in monitoring and roles from health workers/stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The community prioritizes the use of chemical insecticides to eradicate mosquitoes and less cleaning for the eradication of mosquito nests. In addition, dengue sufferers are found soon in their neighborhood, which is a densely populated settlement, with many neglected puddles found by larvae, many public places, and empty buildings that are not maintained so that they have a high potential to become a source of dengue vector development. Those findings can serve as the basis for developing future interventions and becoming evidence-based in policy-making by the health sector and government, as well as providing information on the burden related to controlling dengue during the COVID-19 pandemic.