Background: Governments in sub-Sahara Africa are investing substantially in scalingup
treated mosquito net coverage for impact. Under the Insecticide Treated Nets
(ITNs/LLINs) programme, a total of 27 million LLINs have been distributed by from
2009 to 2011 in Tanzania. During the same period, roughly 5.4 million nets will have
been distributed through the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme to pregnant women and
infants.
Currently monitoring and evaluation of such malaria interventions in Tanzania is mainly
based on periodic household surveys in which under-five children and pregnant women
form the sample population. But, these surveys are expensive, time consuming and
labour intensive, and generally only undertaken every 3-5 years and therefore not ideal
for routine monitoring at local levels. A cheaper and rapid complementary approach
would be to use the existing school system for school-based malariometric surveys.
Study objectives: This study aimed at determining the malaria prevalence and rapidly
assessing the population on ITN use using the primary school children in Lindi
municipal.