Short Course in Tropical Medicine – Programme

PROGRAMME

WEEK 1

DAY 1

Activity, Topic Venue / Department	Time	Content
ORIENTATION Mini-Lecture Hall 1 Faculty of Medical Sciences, USJ	9.00 am – 11.00 am	Registration Distribution of Course time table, course content and other important information
Lecture Trypanosomiasis Department of Parasitology, FMS, USJ	11.00 am – 12.00 noon	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, management, control
Lunch Break
Lecture Malaria Department of Parasitology, USJ	1.00 – 2.30 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, management, control
Practical Malaria & Trypanosomiasis Department of Parasitology, USJ	2.45 – 4.30 pm	Preparation of thick & thin blood films Staining: thin blood film Observing malaria infected mounted slides under the microscope Observing Trypanosoma infected mounted slides

DAY 2

Activity, Topic Venue / Department	Time	Content
Lecture Lymphatic Filariasis & Dirofilarasisis Department of Parasitology, USJ	9.00 pm – 12.00 noon	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, management, control
Lunch Break
Practical Filariasis Department of Parasitology, USJ	1.00 – 4.00 pm	Staining -Thick blood film Concentration techniques: Membrane filtration method, Knott’s concentration method Observing microfilaraemic slides under the microscope

DAY 3

Activity, Topic Venue / Department	Time	Content
Field visit Antifilariasis-clinic/ Family Practice center/DBH Homagama	9.00 – 12.00 noon	History taking and examination of filarial limbs. Learn about medical management and home based limb care.
Lunch Break
Lecture Leishmaniasis Department of Parasitology, USJ	1.00 – 2.00 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, management, control
Lecture Helminth infections Department of Parasitology, USJ	2.00 – 3.00 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, management, control
Practical Leishmaniasis & helminths	3.15 – 4.30 pm	Observing leishmaniasis infected mounted slides under the microscope Sample collection methods Helminths-Preparation of a saline & iodine smears (0bservation) Examination of both wet and mounted faecal samples with helminth eggs

DAY 4

Activity, Topic Venue / Department	Time	Content
Visit Dermatology clinic CSTH/DBH Homagama/Family Practice center/FSM & UMO/USJ/ PU Thalangama	9.00 am -12.00 noon	History taking and examination of tropical infectious skin lesions (scabies, fungal lesions etc). Learn about medical management.
Lunch Break
Lecture Control of vector borne diseases and integrated vector control measures Department of Parasitology	1.00 – 3.00 pm	Medically important vectors, their bionomics and control measures
Practical mosquitoes and flies Department of Parasitology	3.15 – 4.30 pm	Observe preserved samples of mosquitoes and flies
Self- directed learning on Helminth infections	4.30 pm onwards	Lecture notes. Web sites (URL provided), research articles etc.

DAY 5

Activity, Topic Venue / Department	Time	Content
Tropical Paediatrics Case based discussions 1. Febrile child in tropics 2. Child with diarrhea Department of Paediaterics/CSTH	8.30 – 9.15 am 9.30 – 10.15 am	Covers a wide range of Tropical Diseases causing febrile illness in a child including pathogenesis, clinical features and management. Main emphasis will be on dengue fever. Common infective aetiological factors, clinical presentations and management of diarrhea
Lecture Helminthiasis in children Paediatric tuberculosis Vaccination in tropical paediatrics Paediatric encephalitis in tropics Department of Paediaterics/CSTH	10.30 – 11.00 am 11.00 – 11.30 am 11.45- 12.15pm 12.15 – 12.45 pm	Aetiology, clinical features, management and preventive strategies. Clinical presentations, structured investigations, paediatric tuberculosis management, contact screening and prophylaxis National immunization programme, travel vaccination in tropes Clinical presentations, management and prevention of arbo viral encephalitis
Lunch Break
Tropical Paediatrics Department of Paediaterics/CSTH	1.00 pm onwards	Introduction to bedside investigations in Tropical Disease and self-directed learning in the wards

WEEK 2

DAY 1

Activity	Time	Content
Lecture Tuberculosis Department of Microbiology, FMS, USJ	9.00 am – 10.30 am	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention
Lecture Leprosy Department of Microbiology, FMS, USJ	10.45 am – 12.00 noon	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention
Lunch Break
Lecture Leptospirosis Department of Microbiology, FMS, USJ	1.00 – 2.00 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention
Lecture Melioidosis Department of Microbiology, FMS, USJ	2.00 – 3.00 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention
Lecture Cholera and other bacterial diarrhoeal illnesses Department of Microbiology, FMS, USJ	3.00 – 4.00 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention

DAY 2

Activity	Time	Content
Practical Tuberculosis & Lerposy Department of Microbiology, FMS, USJ	9.00 am – 12.00 noon	Observe the procedures – Sputum AFB, TB culture, GeneXpert Leprosy- Acid fact stain
Lunch Break
Lecture Viral encephalitis and zika Department of Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine FMS, USJ	2.00 – 3.00 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention

DAY 3

Activity	Time	Content
Practical Leptospira, Cholera and other bacterial diarrhoeal illnesses and Melioidosis Department of Microbiology FMS, USJ	9.00 am – 12.00 noon	Leptospira – Special stains & PCR Cholera and Diarrhoeal illnesses – Observation of Gram stained slides and cultures Melioidosis – Observation of Gram stained slides and cultures
Lunch Break
Lecture Dengue, chikungunya Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine	1.00 – 2.30 pm	Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention & Control
Practical Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine	2.30 – 4.00 pm	NS1Ag, PCR, ELISA etc

DAY 4

Activity	Time	Content
Case-based discussion 1 A patient with an acute febrile illness in the tropics Professorial Unit Medicine/ CSTH	8.30 am – 12.00 noon	8.30 – 9:30 am familiarization to the ward setting 9:30 – 11 am: Fixed learning module on “Approach to a patient with an acute febrile illness” (Covers clinical features, Investigations and management of dengue, leptospirosis, rickettsial infections) 11 am – 12 noon Face-face discussion
Lunch Break
Case-based discussion 2 Patient with self-ingestion of a toxin Professorial Unit Medicine/ CSTH	1.00 – 4.00 pm	Fixed learning module: on different plant toxins encountered in SL, clinical presentations and challenges in management Face-face discussion: (Case histories-3)

DAY 5

Activity	Time	Content
Case-based discussion 3 Patient with an unknown snake bite Professorial Unit Medicine/ CSTH	8.30 am – 12.00 noon	8:30 am -10:30 am: Fixed learning module on common venomous snake bites, clinical presentations, management and challenges 11 am – 12 noon: Face-face discussion
Lunch Break
Practical snakes Department of Parasitology FMS, USJ	1.00 – 2.00 pm	Morphological features of snakes with preserved specimens
Winding up Mini-Examination Hall	2.00 – 3.00 pm	Awarding of participation certificate

Abbreviations

FMS – Faculty of Medical Sciences
USJ – University of Sri Jayewardenepura
CSTH- Colombo South Teaching Hospital

Prepared and Confirmed by

Dr. Thushari Dissanayake (Head, Department of Microbiology & Consultant Microbiologist)
Prof. Manjula Weerasekera (Professor in Microbiology)
Dr. Nilanka Perera (Senior Lecturer in Medicine & Consultant Physician)
Prof. Ruwanthi Perera (Head, and Professor, Department of Paediatrics & Consultant Paediatrician)
Prof. Neelika Malavige (Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine)
Prof. Shalindra Ranasinghe (Professor in Parasitology)