Potencialidades del trabajo de extensión universitaria en la prevención de la tuberculosis

Abstract

The main pieces of experience in the university extramural activities carried out by professors and students of the School of Biology of Havana University in order to raise the level of knowledge of the population on the prevention, symptoms and transmission of tuberculosis as well as to promote the social involvement of community in understanding this disease were presented in this paper. These activities involved children, young people, adults and the elderly through actions integrating the fundamental functions of higher education into an extramural university strategy. Talks, video debates, courses, workshops, events, lectures, surveys and recreational activities were held to support systematic work from different perspectives, and to include formal methods such as teaching and research. The involved people amounted to 2 575 including neighbors, simple workers and population at large, which fostered social engagement of the participants. Taking into account that tuberculosis is a preventable disease, this is a sort of effort that makes good use of the various potentialities of the university extramural activities for the dissemination of tuberculosis prevention and control informative aspects; they are also very useful for the national care of this infectious disease and for further orientation to carry on these activities. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]