title: [Popular conceptions regarding cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia and their applicability in control programs].
abstract: A study was carried out to obtain information on prevailing popular ideas and attitudes about cutaneous leishmaniasis and its treatment in an isolated endemic area on the Colombian Pacific Coast. Interviews were conducted with a representative sample of individuals from the community and with health agents. The formal survey covered 736 households, 332 of them in a rural area (where leishmaniasis is endemic) and 404 in the city of Buenaventura (where there is no transmission of the disease.) The results showed that cutaneous leishmaniasis is well known in the rural area. The people have names for it (ya-te-vi or bejuco), have an understanding of its etiology (although their interpretation differs from that accepted by the scientific community), and have developed methods for preventing and treating it. The popular understanding of the disease results in behavior directed toward its prophylaxis and treatment that shares many characteristics with Western medicinal practices. The traditional treatments should be taken into account in the application of measures to control the disease in that area.
authors.affiliation: Centro Latinoamericano del Instituto de Higiene Tropical y Salud Pública de la Universidad de Heidelberg, República Federal de Alemania.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kroeger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lipowsky
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alzate
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003105:Colombia; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population
vernacular_title: Conceptos populares sobre la leishmaniasis cutánea en Colombia y su aplicabilidad en programas de control.