Summary of Five Household Surveys to Monitor Population-Level Coverage and Impact of Malaria Interventions in Tanzania, 2007-2008

Author(s): Foreit KGF, Patton EG, Walker DM

Year: 2009

Abstract:

This report summarizes the main findings of five independent household surveys of malaria interventions conducted on the Tanzania Mainland between October 2007 and September 2008. In November of 2008 the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) convened a two-day meeting in Dar es Salaam to facilitate presentation of the methods and results of all five surveys. Household surveys are especially relevant in malaria endemic settings for measuring coverage of interventions that primarily target the household level, such as insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), and for understanding patterns of antimalarial use among target populations. Each survey served a specific role at the time it was planned and implemented in 2007-08. Nevertheless, in the spirit of Roll Back Malaria’s efforts to improve harmonization of large household surveys, NMCP and PMI brought together investigators of the five surveys to discuss the findings in an open forum. The results in this summary document provide population-level coverage and impact data immediately preceding the national campaign to distribute free long lasting insecticidal bednets (LLINs) for all children under five years of age (officially launched in May 2009) and another campaign for free distribution of LLINs to cover all remaining sleeping spaces (estimated launch date early 2010). This document is meant to serve as a single source document for the major findings from all five surveys. Specific details concerning methods (including sampling and questionnaire design) more extensive results will need to be pursued from the full reports of each individual survey.