Revitalising community engagement and surveillance challenges for strengthening dengue control in Jodhpur, Western Rajasthan, India - A mixed method study.

Abstract Objectives Dengue continues to remain a public health problem in many regions of the world. This study focuses on addressing the community level barriers and opportunities using a health education intervention model to aid in dengue control. Methods In-depth interviews of frontline workers were conducted to understand potential barriers during surveillance. A house-to-house cross-sectional survey was conducted in November 2018 among the crowded urban Pratapnagar area followed by intervention in the form of health education using pamphlets and counselling. Results The entomological indices were found to be above the critical levels in the hotspot area. 90% of the population had heard about dengue but only 51.4% had knowledge about fever as one of the symptoms of dengue. Overall knowledge among the community was good. But attitudes and practices were low and probably required more sustained health education intervention over prolonged period. The potential barriers for surveillance which were recognised during In-depth interviews were safety issues, lack of manpower and availability of dedicated vehicles, dearth of community participation and lack of inter and intra departmental coordination. Conclusion The health administration needs to adopt robust surveillance and monitoring activities with inter-departmental coordination ensuring greater community participation focusing on behaviour change.