Malaria Doesn’t Take A Holiday

January 10, 2020

Happy New Year to everyone across the world working on the PMI VectorLink Project! Our first Fist Bump Friday for 2020 goes out to the heroes who worked over the holidays to ensure that malaria doesn’t get the upper hand. While there are so many across the project countries who are deeply committed to fighting the bite, special thanks goes out to the VectorLink Tananzia team.  

To ensure ITN availability and timely distribution to beneficiaries before the end of 2019 and at the start of 2020, VectorLink Tanzania worked through the holidays to coordinate with the Tanzanian National Malaria Control Program, the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Program, and the President’s Office Regional Administration & Local Government.

Key accomplishments of the VectorLink team during the holiday period include:

  • Distribution of 206,560 ITNs to health facilities in six regions (Geita, Kagera, Lindi, Pwani, Ruvuma, and Mtwara) for delivery to pregnant women and children under one through antenatal and immunization services;
  • Pre-alert meetings to validate distribution plans (routes, timing) were completed on December 27th for school-based distribution planning in 10 regions. A distribution calendar and class eligibility/allocation analysis were developed following these meetings. The school-based distribution will be undertaken this month;
  • Confirmation of physical stocks of ITNs for health facilities across Zanzibar were completed; and
  • Data validation to determine average consumption per health facility in Zanzibar was conducted to improve future estimates/quantification for ITNs and coupons for each health facility.

Each of these accomplishments is key to meeting VL Tanzania’s goal to deliver 4.15 million ITNs in Phase 2 of the ITN distribution between December 2019 – April 2020. Phase 2 follows the successful distribution of more than 1.4 million ITNs through school-based channels in mainland Tanzania and health facilities in Phase 1 in 2019.

Thanks to you all for going above and beyond! Go VL Tanzania.