Register for the fourth edition of the MOOC Medical Entomology

The digital education office is pleased to invite you to sign up for the fourth edition of the Medical Entomology MOOC, broadcasted from April 13 to June 8, 2023, led by Anna-Bella Failloux and Christophe Paupy.

Which mosquitoes transmit the parasites responsible for malaria? Is the Asian tiger mosquito the vector of the Zika virus? How does the transmission take place from vectors to humans and conversely?

About 25% of annual deaths worldwide are related to infectious diseases and 23% of them are directly related to vector-borne diseases. Vector-borne diseases have a zoonotic origin meaning that the pathogen is transmitted from animals to humans. Pathogens are primarily maintained within an enzootic cycle between populations of non-human primates or other mammals and zoophilic vectors. This “wild” cycle sometimes spills over with infections of humans and domestic animals. Lifestyle changes, incursions by humans into natural habitats, and changes in agropastoral practices create opportunities that make the borders between wildlife and humans more permeable.

The MOOC aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the main vectors (insects and hematophagous arthropods) and associated diseases (Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, Lyme or Chagas diseases). The design of control strategies for vector-borne diseases should be guided by research in emergence mechanisms and in control of vectors.

At the end of this course, you will be able to:
•   Identify most insects and other arthropods likely to transmit viruses, parasites, or bacteria.
•   Explain the transmission cycle of pathogens to humans.
•   Describe environmental changes that increase the migration of vectors far from their native habitat.
•   Show the role of mosquitoes and other arthropods in the transmission of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
•   Consider measures to be taken to fight against vectors and/or emergence of pathogens in humans.

The Institut Pasteur Online Diploma of Infectious Diseases (DNM2IP) :

This MOOC is one of 17 MOOC’s labeled to obtain the Institut Pasteur Online Diploma of Infectious Diseases (DNM2IP), a diploma launched in 2019 and which already has more than 1100 registrants in all continents.