Educational intervention as a tool for raising awareness about rabies control among high school students in public institutions in Imperatriz, MA

Rabies is classified as an acute and fatal zoonosis, transmitted to humans through the rabies virus presentin the saliva of infected mammals, primarily through bites, licks, or scratches. The main clinical signsinclude paralysis, behavioral changes, and excessive salivation. In urban areas, dogs and cats are theprimary transmitters, while bats predominate in rural zones. From 2014 to 2022, the state of Maranhãorecorded 62 outbreaks of the disease, primarily affecting cattle, dogs, horses, and cats. Although theSouthwest region of Maranhão, including the municipality of Imperatriz, currently shows no cases of rabies,prevention is crucial since the region is favorable for the occurrence of the disease, and no treatment isavailable for animals, leading to their death; additionally, treatment for humans carries risks. This studyaims to raise awareness among high school students in public schools about rabies, highlighting theimportance of prevention and control, especially in areas susceptible to transmission. The methodologyincluded the selection of schools and the application of pre- and post-lecture questionnaires, conducted byveterinary medicine students from the State University of the Tocantina Region of Maranhão, whichaddressed relevant aspects of the disease in urban and rural contexts. The results demonstrated a significantimprovement in participants' knowledge: the correct identification of rabies as a viral disease increasedfrom 71.8% to 98.1%, and recognition of the measures to be taken in the case of suspected rabies in ananimal rose from 77.5% to 91.4%. Moreover, the belief in the existence of an effective treatment for animalsdecreased from 80.4% to 62.7%. These data highlight the effectiveness of health education in correctingmisconceptions and empowering the population to adopt preventive measures in combating the disease. Keywords: Zoonosis; Prevention; Health education; Students.