Malaria prevalence and rapid assessment of insecticide Treated nets coverage using primary school children in Lindi municipal, Tanzania.

Abstract

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. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted from March to June 2013 in Lindi municipal. Structured questionnaires were used to get information on ITN use, knowledge on malaria and its control. Blood samples were taken to determineparasite prevalence. Furthermore households were visited to assess the real situation of ITN coverage and use. The data obtained was entered into and analysed by SPSS computer software. Results: The overall prevalence of ITN use by school children was 90.6%, this prevalence was significantly higher urban part of the municipal 97.9% (188/192) than in peri-urban 87.0% (335/385). Malaria prevalence was 9.9%(57/577) (by mRDT). This prevalence was significantly higher in peri-urban 14.0% (54/385) compared to the urban 1.6% (3/192) {P value 0.00}. There was no difference in information obtained from the school and that from the households’ survey regarding ITN. Conclusion: Primary school children may be used to rapidly assess ITN use by them and under-fives in the community while at their schools. Malaria prevalence was relatively lower compared to those given by the previous studies