Principles of Medical Entomology in the Tropics

 This course focuses on knowing and recognizing the basic biology, identification, classification, impact, and management, of insects that represent hazards to human health. To date, mosquitoes are the most dangerous animals around the world, with more deaths caused by mosquito-vectored diseases than from the attack of any wild animal. In the past several methods have been used to control the outbreaks of these insects, specially pesticide-based which in turn just aggravated the problem because of insecticide resistance. The tropics have been particularly affected by insects with human health impacts. For this reason, several private and public initiatives focus on developing ways to palliate these insects. This course will cover basic and applied aspects of Medical Entomology, with an especial focus on the ecological and socio-economic conditions of the tropics. This course will be based on field trips, talks, the study of multimedia, literature, visits and practical contact with people working on these subjects. Therefore, this course is aimed at any student with an interest in human health, biology, economics, sustainability, and anthropology. 

This is a course of Environmental Sciences (theoretical and practical) and answers the following question:

What are the characteristics of the insects that threat human health and how can we deal with them in the Tropics?

To answer this question the following aspects will be studied:
 Basic concepts of insect biology
 Interactions between insects and humans
 Main Orders of Insects that affect human health
 Host-parasite interactions
 Diseases vectored by insects
 Mosquito-vectored diseases
 Bug-vectored diseases
 Fly-vectored diseases
 Lice and fleas
 Socioeconomic aspects of medical entomology
 Historical management of insects
 New frontiers in research for insect control