«Sácale los pies al mosquito»: resultados parciales de la implementación de un programa educativo en República Dominicana

In the Dominican Republic, awareness campaigns aimed at informing, sensitizing and mobilizing communities to eliminate the risks associated with the presence of mosquito-borne diseases (Diptera: Culicidae) take place mainly during epidemic periods, with no sustainability over time. The objective of this work was to develop the educational program «Sacale los pies al mosquito» for the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases in Jarabacoa, a municipality located in the Cordillera Central. The programme consists of four phases: diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. In the diagnostic phase, a KAP survey was applied to 17 secondary schools, for a total of 639 respondents. Based on the results obtained, educational talks and workshops were developed aimed at satisfying the identified learning needs and promoting the conscious and sustainable participation of school children in prevention and control actions, both in the school and community environment. Together, a website was created as a space for scientific dissemination on the topics addressed. The results obtained from the implementation of the educational program have provided key elements to promote the optimal participation of communities in the prevention and control of this problem, as well as ensuring the sustainability of the actions developed.