Module Specification
An online version of this specification is available to prospective students at
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/currentstudents/studentinformation/msc_module_handbook/section3_moduledescript/in
dex.html
GENERAL INFORMATION
Module name
Epidemiology & Control of Malaria
Module code
3195
Module Organisers
Dr Harparkash Kaur and Dr Sian Clarke
Contact email
Harparkash.Kaur@lshtm.ac.uk or Sian.Clarke@lshtm.ac.uk
Home Faculty
Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases
Level
This module is at Level 7 (postgraduate Masters ‘M’ level) of the QAA
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales & Northern
Ireland (FHEQ).
Credit
LSHTM award 15 credits on successful completion of this module
Accreditation
Not currently accredited by any other body
Keywords
Malaria; Disease prevention & control; Disease vectors; Epidemiology (incl.
surveillance); Planning & programming (incl. budgeting and evaluation);
Communication (oral, written); Research
AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND AUDIENCE
Overall aim
This module aims to give students a deeper view of malaria as a public health
problem, by building connections between a wide variety of aspects and
viewpoints, and by considering some current topics in depth.
Intended learning
outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
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Discuss the environmental, biological, political and social roots of malaria
as a public health problem;
Describe cutting edge interventions available or under development for
malaria control;
Apply appropriate control measures according to the malaria epidemiology
of a given setting;
Synthesise the cross-cutting principles of the course and apply to the
design of their own control programme, intervention trial or elimination
strategy.
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Target audience
This module emphasises epidemiological, social and organisational matters,
and also deals with issues of vector control evaluation. Our target audiences are
the malaria control programme managers, implementers, policy makers and
researchers of the future. All those with an interest in understanding the
epidemiology and control of malaria and their potential role in this field are
very welcome.
CONTENT
Session content
The module is expected to include sessions addressing the following topics
(though please note that these may be subject to change):
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Epidemiology of malaria, including the determinants of transmission
intensity and burden of disease (vector, host, parasite, environment);
Control measures including sessions on: State of the art vector control;
Diagnosis & treatment; Malaria in pregnancy; Intermittent preventive
treatment;
Current topics of interest, including sessions on: Drug resistance; Methods
to detect the quality of control tools (drugs, insecticide treated nets,
insecticides for indoor residual spraying); Malaria vaccines; HIV and
malaria interactions; The Role of Modelling in the Future of Malaria Control;
Health system and policy considerations, including sessions on: The global
perspective and policy environment; Implementing policy change; Delivery
systems for malaria interventions; Economic evaluation and financing of
malaria control;
Designing intervention trials;
Monitoring the impact of control, including surveillance, biological
monitoring, and programme monitoring and evaluation (M&E);
Other topics covered include: Human behaviour and malaria; Epidemics;
Vivax malaria; Malaria control in complex emergency settings.
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT
Study resources
provided or required
Students are provided with a reader at the beginning of the module that will
contain session outlines and key articles recommended for each session. For
some sessions, advance reading is suggested. Additional articles may be
suggested during lectures which the student would be expected to find through
the library.
Lecture slides are generally provided in hard copy at the start of each session.
Useful general reading for the module includes the World Malaria Reports and
other Position Statements and policy documents on the
WHO (www.who.int/malaria) and RBM (www.rollbackmalaria.org) websites.
There is no core recommended text book for this module. However, the
following are useful reference texts and can be accessed from the LSHTM
library: Malaria: Principles and Practice of Malariology, Wernsdorfer and
MacGregor; Essential Malariology, Bruce-Chwatt; Biodiversity of Malaria in the
World, Manguin, Carnevale and Mouchet.
Teaching and learning
methods
Most of the classroom work takes place in the first three weeks, with the
assessment exercises occupying the remainder of the module.
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Assessment details
The assessments are accomplished as individual projects (a written report of
no more than 2000 words). Students may elect to work in mutually-supporting
pairs or small groups but the work submitted must be their own. The
assessment project is developed in an evolutionary fashion, through
discussions with an appropriate member of staff, who acts as an adviser.
For the assessment report, students are expected to develop a proposal on one
of the following areas:
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Malaria Control Programme: In this option, students make a case study of a
particular location (about which there is a reasonable amount of
background data) and design one element of an integrated malaria control
plan for that context;
Intervention Trial: In this option, students select a particular control
problem, method or context and design a field trial with specific research
objectives to evaluate an intervention;
Elimination Plan: In this option students develop an outline plan to design
an intensive malaria control programme to eliminate malaria in a selected
location.
For students who are required to re-sit, or granted a deferral or new attempt,
the task will be to revise and resubmit their original proposal assessment.
Assessment dates
Assessments will be due on Wednesday 10 February 2016.
For students who are required to re-sit, or granted a deferral or new attempt,
the next assessment deadline will be the standard School-recommended date in
mid/late September 2015 which will give students sufficient time after handing
in their project reports to be able to complete the re-sit.
Language of study and
assessment
English (please see ‘English language requirements’ below regarding the
standard required for entry).
TIMING AND MODE OF STUDY
Duration
The module runs for 5 weeks at 2.5 days per week; this module runs between
Monday morning and Wednesday lunchtime.
Dates
For 2015-16, the module will start on Monday 11 January 2016 and finish on
Wednesday 10 February 2016.
Timetable slot
The module runs in LSHTM timetable slot C1
Mode of Study
The module is taught face-to-face in London. Both full-time and part-time
students follow the same schedule. For full-time students, other LSHTM
modules are available in the other half of the week for the C and D slots.
Learning time
The notional learning time for the module totals 150 hours, consisting of:
 Contact time ≈ 46 hours
 Directed self-study ≈ 23 hours
 Self-directed learning ≈ 30 hours
 Assessment, review and revision ≈ 51 hours
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APPLICATION, ADMISSION AND FEES
Pre-requisites
There are no formal pre-requisites, but it is assumed that students will have
some familiarity with basic epidemiology and with malaria from the point of
view of their own discipline.
English language
requirements
A strong command of the English language is necessary to benefit from
studying the module. Applicants whose first language is not English or whose
prior university studies have not been conducted wholly in English must fulfil
LSHTM’s English language requirements, with an acceptable score in an
approved test taken in the two years prior to entry. Applicants may be asked to
take a test even if the standard conditions have been met.
Student numbers
Student numbers are typically 30 per year.
Student selection
Preference will be given to LSHTM MSc students and LSHTM research degree
students. Other applicants meeting the entry criteria will usually be offered a
place in the order in which applications are received. Applicants may be placed
on a waiting list and given priority the next time the module is run.
Full Registration (full participation) by LSHTM research degree students is
required for this module.
Fees
For registered LSHTM MSc students, fees for the module are included within
MSc fees (given on individual course prospectus pages).
If registering specifically for this module, as a stand-alone short course,
individual module fees will apply.
Tuition fees must be paid in full before commencing the module, or by any fee
deadline set by the Registry.
Scholarships
Scholarships are not available for individual modules. Some potential sources
of funding are detailed on the LSHTM website.
Admission deadlines
For 2015-16:
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For registered LSHTM MSc students, the module choice deadline (for Term
2 and 3 modules) is Friday 20 November 2015.
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If registering specifically for this module, applications may be made at any
time but, as places are limited, early application is recommended. All
applications should be submitted by, at the latest, 8 weeks prior to the start
of the module. Formal registration will take place on the morning of the
first day of the module.
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
This module specification applies for the academic year 2015-16
Last revised 3 July 2014 by Harparkash Kaur Minor changes Sarah Bathie 17th July 2015
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St., London WC1E 7HT.
www.lshtm.ac.uk
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