A Field Trial of an Educational Program for Malaria Study in Primary Schools of Solomon Islands Using an Innovated LED Light Box and Microscopy / 国際保健医療

ABSTRACT

 Malaria is a parasitic disease of major health significance that arrests the development of the tropical countries, and the developmental education on malaria for the local residents has crucial effects for the successful control of malaria. In the present study, we tried to innovate an effective education program for a community primary school in a malaria endemic area of Solomon islands. The integrated program was consisted mainly with practical exercises of the surveillance of mosquito larvae that transmit malaria parasites, identification of the species of mosquito larvae and the mapping of the breeding sites and the localization of the residence of village people under the cooperation of the local residents and teachers. We successfully established a risk map showing the approximate localization of <i>Anopheles</i> larvae that transmits malaria. An impressive observation of mosquito larvae was performed with microscope equipped with LED light box in the dark classroom without electric power equipments. Though no students have ever observed the mosquito larvae and few students have some knowledge for malaria, all students replied that they learned about malaria with a deep interest by the educational program. Thus, this educational program is shown to be promising for the health education in the schools of malaria endemic area.