Development of the Regional Malaria Training Centre in Bandar-e Abbas, Islamic Republic of Iran

The resurgence of malaria has highlighted the need for training health professionals in malaria control planning. The course described here was organized jointly by the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the School of Public Health in Iran. The first course was held in 1997 and the fifth WHO-approved course is now in progress. The course focuses on dynamic, interactive, practical and problem-solving learning methods. It provides the participants with the knowledge, skills, competence and confidence to be able to analyse the malaria problem. The course fulfils the requirements of the Roll Back Malaria campaign. In the 8-week training period subjects such as basic bio-statistics and epidemiology, microcomputing, malaria parasitology, malaria entomology, vector control, case management, epidemiological approach to malaria control, field work and planning for malaria control are taught. Each participant is evaluated in each subject. A total of 71 participants from 17 countries in the WHO African and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, mainly those with a malaria problem, have graduated.