ENTOMOLOGICAL FIELD TECHNIQUES FOR MALARIA CONTROL. PART I. LEARNER'S GUIDE

Abstract

This guide is the 1st part of a 2-part module intended as a basis for training courses for personnel involved in the fight against malaria (the 2nd part is a tutor's guide, which offers advice on the organization and running of training courses; French and Spanish editions of both parts are in preparation). It consists of a series of learning units, each with clearly stated objectives, which take trainees from the simplest collecting techniques that can be practised in the laboratory to sophisticated procedures that must be undertaken in the field. The techniques covered include hand collection methods, indoor collection after pyrethrum spraying, direct catches of mosquitoes from animal and human bait, and collection of larvae and pupae from aquatic habitats. Much of this work is carried out within communities served by malaria control programmes; the need to explain its purpose to the local people and to gain their active cooperation is therefore emphasized. Guidance is given on the identification of species at all stages of the life-cycle. The importance of accurate record keeping is emphasised throughout the book, as is the need to preserve specimens carefully and transport them back to the laboratory under carefully controlled conditions.