Community-based teaching of tropical diseases: an experience with filariasis.

The Department of Community Health Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, developed a module in 1981 to teach filariasis to medical undergraduates, using a community-based approach aimed at providing a comprehensive picture of this disease. Students learn in four phases during the 5 1/2 years they spent in medical school. Student assessment is done during and at the end of each phase. Student feedback of the programme has been very positive. This paper describes the salient features of the module and suggests it could be adopted by other institutions to teach tropical diseases of public health importance that are relevant to that particular region or country.