Capacity Building for Dengue Prevention: A Comprehensive Training Approach in Two Medical Colleges in Puducherry,...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Tropical Medicine
• Vector-Borne Disease Control

Background:

• Dengue is a growing global health concern linked to urbanization and inadequate sanitation.
• Effective dengue prevention relies on public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and sustainable vector control.
• Medical colleges can play a role in building capacity for dengue vector control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a training plan for Dengue Source Reduction (DSR) activities.
• To build capacity within medical colleges in Puducherry, India, for dengue vector control.
• To reduce dengue transmission risks through enhanced knowledge and practices.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study involving two medical colleges.
• Interactive training sessions including lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practice.
• Formation of Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) for campus-wide DSR activities.
• Pre- and post-training surveys, capacity assessments, and larval identification for monitoring and evaluation.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in participants' knowledge (p<0.001) and risk perception (p<0.001) regarding dengue.
• Increased understanding of weekly DSR importance (p=0.0005) and ability to identify Aedes breeding sites and larvae.
• Successful independent follow-up DSR activities by trained teams, with all collected larvae identified as Aedes mosquitoes.

Conclusions:

• Interactive, hands-on capacity-building programs in medical colleges are effective for reducing dengue transmission.
• Integrating vector control training into medical curricula can enhance public health outcomes.
• Sustaining trained MDTs within medical colleges offers a promising approach for community-level dengue prevention.