Improvement of diagnosis of malaria using an innovated LED Light box and microscopy in VanuatuA case report of the field trial and problems / 国際保健医療

 Malaria is a parasitic disease of major health significance that arrests the development of the tropical countries.We assembled an innovated LED light box for diagnosis of malaria, and examined for availability of the LED light box in the clinics of malaria endemic area in Solomon islands in the previous study. In the present study, we tried to use the LED light box for the practical use in the clinics with diagnostic service of malaria in Vanuatu (next country of Solomon Islands) for 1 year, and verified the availability and problems of the continual use of the LED light box.We identified the advantage of the use of LED light box in the diagnosis of malaria using microscopy. On the other hand, additional training of basic electricity is needed for microscopists who have little experience for electronics in the course of training of mictroscopists for the practical use of the LED light box.

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

 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.

LED Malaria Program / 国際保健医療

Malaria is a parasitic disease of major global health significance that causes an estimated 1.5-2.7 million deaths each year. Though immunochromatographic test (ICT) have been used for the convenient method of diagnosis of malaria, microscopy of Giemsa-stained thick and thin films by a skilled microscopist has still remaind the standard laboratory method for the diagnosis of malaria in the endemic area of developing countries. In the present study, we innovated a small light box equipped with light emitting diode (LED) for the source of light of microscopy to improve the blood check in the field of malaria endemic area. We performed field trials for the check of the utility of the light box in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. All the microscopists of some clinics answered that the LED light box is a promising tool for improvement of diagnosis of malaria with microscopy.