What is it about?
Brazilian Spotted Fever is a disease caused by bacteria transmitted from animals to humans through the bites of some species of ticks. It is commonly described in southeastern Brazil, however cases and, more recently, deaths have been reported in other regions of the country. One of the most interesting ways of producing health information is by offering playful learning content and, among these, games are one of the most creative choices, since they reach a very heterogeneous public in terms of age, social condition and knowledge about the theme. We propose a playful journey through the ecological cycle of the main spotted fever vector in our country, covering the stages of life in urban, wild and rural settings and offering experiences of infection by bacteria of the genus Rickettsia in animals and humans. We have also included a minigame in which the organism must be defended as soon as possible by a true pharmacological arsenal to avoid organ failure and the individual's death, inferring the need for readiness and proactivity in the surveillance of this disease by health care.
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Why is it important?
Brazilian Spotted Fever is a disease with a seasonal perspective, previously related to the southeast of the country, but which has now been reported in all Brazilian regions. Annually, in addition to the higher number of confirmed cases, there is an increase in the number of observed deaths. It is opportune to disseminate information about this disease to society, as well as to health professionals. As a way of achieving our goal, we propose the development of a game (PULA CARRAPATO), which we report in this article.
Perspectives
The article in question is a joint production that expresses the creative way of developing a digital game as a form of scientific dissemination, in the broader perspective of citizen science, in addition to being a source of reference for health professionals who seek inspiration to produce knowledge in a playful way. We outline the basic ideas regarding the main vector in Brazil (ticks of the genus Amblyomma spp.), the ecological cycle of the bacterium (Rickettsia rickettsii) the interfaces with animal hosts and, mainly, the inadvertent participation of man in the enzootic cycle that expresses the illness. In a fun way, we chose to offer a light and dynamic reading of the disease, while also addressing the need for an accurate and early diagnosis for proper care and a better outcome of the clinical case through a fun minigame in the style of Space Invaders. At the end of the game, in addition to having traveled the tick's journey, the player will have the opportunity to interact with others from social networks and the Google Store itself from the moment the game is released by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.
CLAUDIO MANUEL RODRIGUES
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Pula Carrapato, Revista de Saúde Digital e Tecnologias Educacionais, December 2019, Portal de Periodicos da UFC,
DOI: 10.36517/resdite.v4.n2.2019.a8.
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