| Title: |
Dengue, yellow-fever and other arboviral diseases |
| Keywords: |
vectors
Viral
Research (in general)
International / global
|
| Country: |
Portugal
|
| Institution: |
Portugal - Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical , Universidade Nova de Lisboa
|
| Course coordinator: |
Carla A. Sousa
|
| Date start: |
2020-07-09 |
| Date end: |
2020-07-17 |
| About duration and dates: |
Classes: July 9, 10, 16, 17 from 1:30 to 8:00 PM |
| Classification: |
advanced optional
|
| Mode of delivery: |
Face to face
|
Course location:
Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT)
Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Rua da Junqueira Nº 100
1349-008 Lisboa
Portugal |
|
| ECTS credit points: |
2 ECTS credits
|
SIT:
60 hours SIT
Contact: 30 hours (6 hours Lectures, 8,5 hours Lectures followed by practical class, 7,5 hours Practical laboratory classes, 2 hours seminars, 6 hours tutorials)
Self-study: 30 hours (20 private reading, 10 writing assessment)
English if a non-Portuguese speaking tropEd student is enrolled. |
|
| Language: |
English
|
Description:
At the end of this module, students are able to contribute to research or to plan interventions to control this group of diseases. Specifically they should be able to:
• Appraise epidemiologic data on arboviral diseases (geographic distribution, reservoirs and vectors of the major arboviral diseases including: Chikungunya, Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis, West Nile disease and Rift Valley Fever);
• Assess the effects of environmental changes on mosquito-vector borne diseases;
• Identify and discuss the risks of the introduction of exotic species of mosquitos;
• Describe and selected different vector collection methods and diagnosis techniques in different logistic and organizational contexts;
• Discuss and design surveillance and control strategies to this group of diseases. |
|
Assessment Procedures:
If students do not attend at least two thirds of the lessons, they are automatically dismissed from the course without any refund.
The assessment of the student will have two components:
1. An individual written work based on a real "case study" of a Dengue epidemic, of 2000 ± 200 words (excluding graphs and bibliography). Data needed to accomplish this assignment is presented, in detail, during lesson # 3. This written work represents 75% of the final grade.
2. Continuous assessment of student’s practical classes performance (#4, #5, #8, #9 and #10), which represents 25% of the final grade: after each practical class an individual assessment takes place, each graded from 1 to 20. Different forms of individual assessments will take place, all, with exception of one (lesson #5), done during classes: identification of mosquito species (lesson #4); multiple choice questions regarding the technique performed, e.g aim, type of epidemiological settings it can be applied, limitations (lesson #8 and 9); homework exercises on outcomes according to different epidemiological settings (lesson #5).
For students that do not reach 10 out of 20 as the final mark, a written multiple choice and open questions exam will be performed. |
|
Content:
Lesson # 1- Arboviruses and arboviral diseases: definitions and types of disease transmission. Major arboviral infections, their epidemiology and impact of climate changes on it (L 2 h).
Lesson # 2 - Main arboviruses transmitted by mosquitoes: classification, structure, genomic organization and replicative cycle (L 1h).
Lesson # 3 - "Case Study": Madeira. (LP 1,5 h). Information and field data will be presented based on which the students will elaborate theirs written assignment.
Lesson # 4 - Mosquito vectors collection methods and morphological identification (adult and immature) (LP 2,5 h).
Lesson # 5 - Entomological parameters important for the epidemiology of an arboviral infection: estimation of Human Blood Index by ELISA, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (LP 3,5 h).
Lesson # 6 - Arboviral diseases: a history of invasion and (re) emergence, and reasons behind it (L 2 h).
Lesson # 7 - Clinical aspects of arboviral diseases (L – 1 h).
Lesson # 8 - Laboratorial diagnosis of the major arboviral infections (LP 1 h).
Lesson # 9 Detection of Alphavirus by RT-PCR, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (P 4 h)
Lesson # 10 - Detection of Alphavirus by neutralization reaction (P 3,5 h).
Lesson # 11 – Seminar based on the written assignment (S 2 h).
Lectures (L), Lecture followed by pratical class (LP) Practical laboratory classes (P), seminars (S) |
|
Methods:
The learning methods include:
• Lectures (6 h; 20% of the contact time): during lectures the student is introduced to concepts;
• Practical laboratory classes (7,5 h, 25% of the contact time): student actively participates in practical work following laboratorial protocols supervised by lecturers.
• Lectures followed by practical classes (8,5 h; 28% of the contact time): mixed classes between the two above.
• Seminars (2 h; 7% of the contact time): during seminars, students present and discuss results of written assignments.
• Tutorials (6 h; 20% of the contact time): time made available to each student to support individual learning process namely for the writing of the individual assignment. |
|
Prerequisites:
- Students should be proficient in English or Portuguese.
Level of English proficiency expected: TOEFL test score 213 computer-based or 550 paper-based or 79-80 internet-based or IELTS band 6.0.
- Students must have a degree in life sciences. |
|
Attendance:
Maximum number of students: 20;
Minimum of tropEd students to perform the course in English:1. |
|
Selection:
First come, first served. |
|
|
|
|
|
Major changes since initial accreditation:
No major changes. Contents are currently slightly more focus on arboviruses as a global health issue; learning methods now include preparatory literature given to students before the beginning of the course; more emphasis was given to the student’s performance continuous assessment. |
|
Student evaluation:
TropEd´s student evaluations were carried-out and analyse together with other MSc and PhD students in order to safeguard their anonymity.
Main positive aspects referred: organization, contents and importance for their future work. The main negative aspect refer is the short duration of the course.
Course evaluation: Mean (minimum-maximum) of all parameters evaluated (n=9): 5,4 out of 6 (5-5,75)
Teachers evaluations (n=5), mean (minimum-maximum):5,6 out of 6 (5,33-6). |
|
Lessons learned:
To give more time to students to prepare their written assignments and homework, deadline to deliverance was extended one week. |
|
tropEd accreditation:
Accredited in Umea, January 2014. This accreditation is valid until January 2019.
Re-accreditation in Lisbon, January 2019. This accreditation is valid until January 2024. |
|
|
Remarks:
This module is part of the IHMT post-graduate program in Parasitology and Biomedical Sciences (MSc and PhD). |
|
| Email Address: |
mrfom@ihmt.unl.pt |
| Date Of Record Creation: |
2014-02-05 04:42:34 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Of Record Release: |
2019-02-15 15:18:30 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Record Checked: |
2019-03-08 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Last Modified: |
2019-10-16 20:44:31 (W3C-DTF) |
