Updated Oct 7th 2024
The Closing Ceremony of the Swedish Ethiopian Course in Tropical Infections 2023-24 took place in Moshi, Tanzania on Feb 10th 2024.
The next course is preliminary planned for during Nov 2025 – Feb 2026.
The Ethiopian part of the course will depend on the political situation in Ethiopia. If it won´t be feasible to have it in Ethiopia, we may try to move the field part of the course to another African country (e.g., Tanzania), if possible.
Aim
This is a course in clinical tropical medicine for clinicians. The overall aim is to provide general knowledge about infectious diseases which require or thrive in a warm climate and / or are important causes of morbidity and mortality in low-income countries. The focus is on diagnosis and treatment both in situations with scarce resources and in more affluent countries. The field visit to Ethiopia gives the participants a unique experience of the health system and infectious disease panorama in a developing country.
General description
The course consists of full-time studies for a total of 6 weeks (usually spread over the time period middle of November to beginning of February). There will be three separate weeks in Stockholm, the equivalent of one week distance learning, and a two week field visit to Ethiopia (or possibly another African country).
Those who pass the examinations (weekly and final) and participate in the field visit will receive a certificate. It is possible to attend a single week (week 1 or 2) without completing the entire course. The maximum number of participants is 24 fully qualified physicians.
Theoretical part in Stockholm
The theoretical part in Stockholm is located at the Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge and consists of three separate weeks. The two first weeks are separate modules (Malaria and systemic protozoan infections and parasites and intestinal infections respectively). The last week (3rd) also includes the final examination and final case discussions.
In the mornings there are lectures providing an overview of the diseases and covering epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, therapy and prophylaxis.
In the afternoon there are in-depth clinical discussions in small groups based on an abundant number of case reports. There will also be practical training in microscopic examination (week 1 and 2). Friday afternoons are free.
Distance e-learning
The participants are given literature recommendations for self-studies and patient cases to prepare. Some lectures will be available on the web. This will cover main tropical viral and bacterial infections. On the final examination these diseases will be included. Participants will also hand in written comments and be prepared to present during the final case seminar. The total workload is equivalent to one week of full time studies.
Field visit in Ethiopia (or another African country)
During the field visit (two whole weeks) the focus is on bedside teaching, and to get insight into the Ethiopian health system. The participants will meet patients at different levels of the health system in Ethiopia – from rural health stations to the university hospital in the capital.