Operational difficulties in the use of insecticidal dog collars for the control of visceral leishmaniasis, municipality of Montes Claros, MG, Brazil, 2012.

OBJECTIVE

to describe operational difficulties in the implementation of deltamethrin-impregnated dog collars for the control of visceral leishmaniasis.

METHODS

this was a community intervention trial in the municipality of Montes Claros, MG, Brazil, comparing (i) control area - dogs without dog collars - and (ii) intervention area - use of 4% deltamethrin-impregnated collars; an initial serological survey was performed, followed by three further cycles (at 12, 18 and 24 months).

RESULTS

out of 4,388 dogs initially seronegative wearing collars, 36.9% were not found in the second cycle, 27.0% of them were lost owing to disappearance/given away/sale, and 22.6% because no one was at home; 56.1% of collars were lost in one year; while among dogs that stayed longer in the study, collar loss was lower.

CONCLUSION

high frequencies of collar loss and no one being at home at the time of the visit are operational difficulties for the implementation of a national control program based on the strategy evaluated.