A course on vectors and the diseases they transmit was held in Bamako, Mali 13-25 July 1997. The course was held at the Centre Regional D'Energie Solaire (CRES), a facility operated by the Government of Mali, which provided lodging and conference rooms. The CRES is located on a hill on the south bank of the Niger River overlooking the City of Bamako. The host of the course was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odonto-Stomatology of Mali.

This course was part of the series of courses sponsored annually by the MacArthur Foundation and normally held at Colorado State University. This is the second time the course has been held outside the United States, and the first time it has been held in Africa. This course differed from previous offerings in that the first week was devoted to malaria and its vectors. The second week emphasized a broader overview of the other major insect vector groups. Forty-four students attended the course. Twenty-six faculty members were involved in the teaching. The program (see attachment) was comprised of formal lectures followed by group discussions. A special review session in French was held at the end of each day for francophone students who felt the need for clarification and expansion. A field trip to village research sites and a visit to the Malaria Research and Training Center at the National School of Medicine were conducted at the end of the first week.

Students

In response to advertisements in a number of international publications, nearly 400 applications were received. Of these, over 220 applications were received from African countries. An effort was made to select African students with research positions and the potential for utilizing the training received in the course. Twenty-three students represented 15 African states; all African students received full support for travel and tuition from the organizing committee. Twenty-one students were accepted from non-African countries. Most of these received full or partial support from the committee. A list of students is attached.

Faculty

Faculty for the course was drawn from the leaders in the field of malaria and vector studies. Dr. Tore Godal, Director of The UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases was the keynote speaker. A list of the faculty is attached.

Support

Financial support for this course was received from a number of sources. The following is a list of the donors and supporting agencies:

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArhur Foundation
The UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases
The Fogarty International Center, NIH
The Office of Rare Diseases, NIH
The Office of Minority Health, NIH
The Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NIH
The Office of the Director, Division of Intramural Research, NUM, NIH
The Office of International Health of the US Public Health Service
The Environmental Protection Agency

Conclusions

The first international course on "Vectors and vector-borne diseases in Africa" was considered by most observers to be an unqualified success. The student body had been carefully selected and represented a cross section of the future leaders in the field of vectors and the diseases they transmit. At the same time the faculty was at a level of competence and relevance never before assembled. The course proved to be an extraordinarily rewarding experience for student and faculty alike.

Following closely as it did on the meeting on malaria held in Dakar in January of 1997, the course presented the first opportunity to begin forging the links of cooperation and collaboration seen as the cornerstone of the Dakar initiative to strengthen African research capacities.

The organization of the course proved to be a major collaborative effort in itself. Travel for African participants was arranged in Mali and was completed with few difficulties. Travel for non-African students and faculty was handled at the NIH. The Dean and administrative staff of the National School of Medicine of Mali were particularly helpful in handling local arrangements.

The organizations which made this course possible can be justifiably proud. It is hoped that this course will prove to be part of the beginning of a major effort to improve and strengthen the capacity of African researchers to take the lead in addressing the problems of malaria and other vector borne diseases in their home countries.

Report Submitted by:
Robert W. Gwadz, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID
for the Organizing Committee
VECTORS AND VECTOR BORNE DISEASES IN AFRICA