From eight countries to Botucatu: medical students cross the world to learn about tropical diseases in the region

Tropical diseases attract students from other countries to activities at Unesp in Botucatu While in some countries, mainly European, diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and leishmaniasis are beginning to show their first signs, in Botucatu (SP) they are becoming a classroom for foreigners. Every year, medical students from different parts of the world arrive in the city in the center-west of São Paulo to learn, in practice, how Brazil faces illnesses typical of tropical regions. This year, the Botucatu Faculty of Medicine at Unesp (FMB/Unesp) welcomes 19 university students from eight countries for the 11th edition of the winter course “Winter School on Tropical and Infectious Diseases”, an international program that promotes three weeks of immersion in clinical, scientific and cultural activities. ? Join the g1 Bauru and Marília channel on WhatsApp Participants come from countries such as England, Canada, France, Spain, Russia and Turkmenistan to follow care at the university's Hospital das Clínicas and learn about the routine of the Unified Health System (SUS). Medical students from eight countries learn about tropical diseases in a program at Unesp in Botucatu (SP), which reaches its 11th edition in 2026 TV TEM/Reproduction Knowing how the Brazilian health system deals with the treatment of these diseases was, in fact, one of the reasons that led Aylar Durdikova to travel almost 13 thousand kilometers from Turkmenistan, where she studies medicine, to Botucatu, on a trip lasting almost 21 hours. “I wanted to get to know Brazilian culture and understand how the Brazilian health system deals with these diseases, from the way they are diagnosed to the treatment offered,” said Aylar, in an interview with TV TEM. In the program offered by the Faculty of Medicine of Botucatu for foreigners, students accompany patients in wards and outpatient clinics, participate in discussions of clinical cases and visit reference centers for the treatment and research of infectious diseases. Aylar Durdikova, a medical student from Turkmenistan, who traveled more than 21 hours to participate in the Unesp Botucatu (SP) program on tropical diseases. TV TEM/Reproduction "I wanted to gain international experience and also learn more about tropical diseases. They are very important and really sparked my interest”, said Aylar. For Spaniard Cesar Alabarda, the experience also represents an opportunity to expand human development and learn about a reality different from that experienced in Europe. "I believe that medicine is not limited to a single area. So it is necessary to have human training, to understand a little of everything, to then treat the patient better", he declared on TV TEM. The medical student from Spain also highlighted the chance to get to know Brazil. "I really enjoyed the opportunity. I had never been to Brazil, so being able to get to know and live an experience like this seemed very interesting to me," he said. Cesar Alabarda, medical student from Spain, who participates in the three-week program on tropical diseases at Unesp in Botucatu (SP) TV TEM/Reproduction Diseases that no longer know borders According to infectologist Alexandre Naime, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine at Unesp in Botucatu, the growing interest of foreign students accompanies an important change in the world scenario of infectious diseases. "We have been experiencing the globalization of infectious diseases for some decades now. Thirty or forty years ago, there was no dengue fever, malaria or leishmaniasis in countries in Europe, North America and even Asia. But today it is an increasingly common situation, mainly due to global warming and also migratory flows", highlighted the expert to TV TEM. According to the doctor, the increasing movement of people and climate change have increased the presence of illnesses previously restricted to tropical regions, making this knowledge relevant for health professionals in different parts of the world. “These foreign students come here precisely to learn how to deal with these infectious diseases", he highlights. Medical students from eight countries learn about tropical diseases in a program run by Unesp in Botucatu (SP), which reaches its 11th edition in 2026 TV TEM/Reproduction