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WHO supported Online Training Series on Dengue and Chikungunya Clinical Management and Vector Control in the Maldives

11 June 2020
News release
Maldives

11th June 2020: WHO is supporting an Online Training Series on Dengue and Chikungunya Clinical Management and Vector Control for all Atolls in the Maldives. The training which continues for one month, will be targeted towards Clinicians, Nurses and Public Health Unit staff involved in Clinical Management and Vector Control across all regions of the country.

COVID-19 has brought unique challenges and tele-working mechanisms for everyone around the globe. Maldives being a country with monsoon weather, seasonal Dengue and Chikungunya are not uncommon. As the season was soon coinciding with the pandemic, WHO and partners joined together not only to educate the public on measures that can be taken from home to prevent breeding of mosquitos through Risk Communication activities, but also to further enhance the knowledge of focal points in all Atolls of the island nation.

Using high-tech digital mechanisms, WHO is coordinating and facilitating the trainings and also supporting all IT arrangements.The trainings are further reinforced with the support of island and atoll focal points, Private Clinics and health facilities, dengue stakeholders, and Ministry of Central Task force for Dengue. Facilitators for the training include Dr Ahmed Faisal (National Focal Point for Dengue and Chikungunya Clinical Management, IGMH) and Aishath Thimna Latheef (National Professional Officer for Environmental Health at WHO Maldives). Vector control sessions were for some atolls were also taken by Ahmed Mazeed (Vector Control Unit/Health Protection Agency).

There are a number of desired outcomes of the trainings. This includes the goal to have all health facilities equipped with staff who are trained in the most up to-date Dengue and Chikungunya clinical management guidelines, staff prepared with the recent knowledge and findings on vector control efforts and community awareness activities, staff oriented on the guidelines on prevention and control of Dengue during COVID-19, ensuring health facilities having access to all training materials and IEC materials for advocacy and community awareness, monitoring of availability of drugs, medicine and equipment for community advocacy and clinical management, creating a Viber platform where all focal points can stay in touch, and lastly, aiming to conduct a scientific research on dengue and vector borne diseases in the future.

The final objective of these unique trainings is to keep the dengue and chikungunya incidence as low as possible, prevent outbreaks and ensure that all cases are clinically managed well, with no lives lost due to these diseases.  It is estimated that more than 1700 health care workers across the nation will be trained through this Online Series.

WHO stands committed to providing innovative support to further strengthening public health measures for the health and wellbeing of the people of Maldives and around the world even during the most challenging times.