Puducherry Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) plans to train 100 entomologists in a year to fight vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya, zika and lymphatic filariasis.
Vector Control Research Center (VCRC) in Puducherry has increased the number of seats in M.Sc. Public Health Entomology 8 to 20 to prepare skilled manpower in this field.
There are not enough entomologists in India. In this background, ICMR’s initiative aims to ensure that every district and municipal corporation in the country has at least one well-trained entomologist who can effectively combat vector-borne diseases.
Four other ICMR institutes have become part of the National Public Health Entomology Programme, which is affiliated to Pondicherry University. These are Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh (Assam), Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), National Tribal Health Research Institute, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) and Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna. (A state in Eastern India). “These institutes will start this course in a phased manner. In the first year, around 68 seats will be filled, followed by an increase of 80 seats in 2023 and finally 100 seats in all the five institutions by 2025.”
“One of the mandates of the VCRC is manpower development in the field of public health entomology, especially with respect to the control of vectors and vector-borne diseases, to meet the needs at the state, national and international levels. The seats in health entomology were increased from 8 to 20. There is acute shortage of specialist manpower in this field. Only Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have large number of entomologists. Unfortunately, entomologists are a declining cadre. That is why. ICMR has increased the entomologist seats to around 100 per annum 20,000 per student per month,” said Dr Ashwini Kumar, director, VCRC, ICMR.
Entomologists are trained to study many aspects of vector insects. They are employed in private industries such as pesticide industries as well as in public health departments of state and central governments.
Meanwhile, the VCRC is looking to expand the scope of public health entomology training for in-service and new candidates by offering degree, diploma and certificate courses in addition to the existing post graduate International Center of Excellence for Training in Medical Entomology (ICETIME). doing installation. syllabus.
It will meet the needs of Asia, Africa and other countries. Recently, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya laid the foundation stone of ICETIME. According to the Health Ministry, 10,172 cases of dengue have been reported in India till May with three deaths. Around 1,554 cases of chikungunya were reported till June this year, while till April there were 21,558 malaria cases and four deaths.