Understanding risk perception from traditional knowledge of Mayan farmers on Rickettsioses

ABSTRACT

Rickettsioses are a group of tick-borne infectious diseases. The clinical presentation is characterised by unspecified manifestations seen in illnesses such as dengue, zika, and chikungunya, so identification is complicated. The greatest impact occurs among the world’s poorest populations. Rickettsioses have hardly been studied from a qualitative perspective to show the cultural horizon of the people affected. We aimed to describe the perception of Mayan indigenous farmers about their risk perception for disease transmission. We used the ethnographic method and built life stories. From the perspective of people interviewed, their relationship with the reservoirs for vectors did not represent a high risk, did not consider that blisters and other skin lesions are caused by tick bites. Contributions as this article show the thinking logic underlying the perception of risk of these impoverished populations. To produce synergy with prevention efforts, it is necessary to know the cultural perspectives of targeted groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnicity
• Risk perception
• social determinants of health
• marginalised populations
• infectious diseases

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study protocol was approved by the O’Horan Hospital Research Ethics Committee, in Merida, Yucatan, México. Project Research Number: CIE-010-1-14.

Notes

1 There are a large number of data on the different countries that make up the African continent, but they are not always consistent. Niang et al. (1998) published data from seven African countries indicating lower prevalences in the north (5% in Tunisia, 6% in Morocco) and higher figures in the south (27% in Mali and 37% in Burkina-Fasso). In 2014, the International Journal of Infectious Diseases dedicated a special issue (volume 21) to the International Congress on Infectious Diseases, which exposed different conditions related to rickettsiosis and other vector-borne diseases in Africa and other countries. However, the authors reviewed for the present article agree that Africa has a severe problem of vector-borne diseases due to its poverty conditions.

2 In the case of Latin America, Hidalgo et al. (2012) published a clear overview about the situation in this continent. There are also specific data about the Amazonian Indians, among others. See Barros Lopes et al. (2014) .

3 In India, there is a lack of specific information about some species of rickettsia affecting humans. See Hii et al. (2015).

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for the funding provided to develop this study.