ABSTRACT
This essay starts from the premise that the best strategy to control mosquito vectors of arboviruses and achieve effective prophylactic results in the complex urban environment of Brazilian slums is to promote routine environmental management actions within an integrated and interdisciplinary approach. This premise is based on the complex social and urban reality of the slums, on the history of failures of vector control actions to obtain effective prophylactic results, and on the successful examples of environmental management in the country. The alternative prophylactic method used in Brazil based on the release of mosquitoes, in particular, infected with Wolbachia, is commented on, but still lacks prophylactic results in Brazilian slums. From this premise, we argue that there is great potential for using conflict mediation skills to pursue effective and feasible environmental management actions to eliminate urban breeding sites for arboviruses vectors in the slums where many socially vulnerable communities reside.
KEYWORDS
Vector control of diseases; Community participation; Disease prevention; Social vulnerability; Environmental health