The Agriculture Department in partnership with the Indian Ocean Commission conducted an entomological training which was held on the 4th to the 6th December 2023 at EX BBC training room of the Grand Anse Mahe office.
The aim of the training was to provide individuals with hands on- experience and skills related to the study of insect of medical importance. The training was conducted by, Dr, Ms. Diana P. Iyaloo, Head, Vector Biology and Control Division, Ministry of Health and Wellness from Mauritius. The training was attended by officials from Ministry of Health, Public health Authority (Public Health) and Agriculture Department, as part of the one Health approach. Aim of the mission was to equipped participants to conduct surveillance of Anopheles Stephensi. The workshop was fully packed with so many field activities and the staff were very active and showing most of their interests. Dr. Iyaloo Assisted the team in devising a realistic surveillance plan for Anopheles Stephensi. PowerPoints were presented by the Seychelles Health Organization team and also Dr. Iyaloo, which gave description of the surveillance system and diseases status from both country, the Seychelles and Mauritius. The team took part in taking and mapping of the GPS coordinates and also used of Hobo Unit.
GPS mapping was used for identifying locations for different traps. Hobo Unit was used for the setting up of the BG sentinel trap. The BG sentinel trap which traps the mosquitoes made of nets. It attracts any insects which were later on analyzed in the laboratory. The team were also asked to collect Anopheles species for experimentation. They were introduced to the AI software which assist them in the identification of the species. To conclude the training was found very useful for the team as they had the opportunity to make use of the AI software and also able to learned the basic training in QGIS, creation of layer maps and use of pivot table to maximize the exploitation of the field data.