VL Tanzania Goes the Extra Mile to Expand Coverage

The Tanzania team successfully launched their 3^rd spray campaign of the year this week, beginning IRS in two new districts only days after completing IRS in Zanzibar. Having already exceeded the targeted number of structures in the first two spray campaigns, the team now moves to a third area, including one district made up entirely of islands. Our impressive Tanzania team is also simultaneously piloting mobile data collection, overseeing a large ITN scope of work, including multiple distribution channels, and preparing for fall IRS.

The team faced an exceptional challenge of having to plan one campaign while executing another. It takes 2 flights, a drive, and a boat ride to get from Zanzibar to Ukerewe, for example, requiring nearly 2 days of travel time between them.

Islands introduce an added challenge of personal and environmental safety concerns. We don’t want our staff or our products to end up in the lake! To avoid these hazards, the Tanzania team undertook a rigorous review months ago of all of the islands, including the distances and population size and worked with the local government to agree on which islands were most suitable for IRS. We purchased a set of lifejackets to use when staff move among islands and hired local staff on some of the smaller islands to avoid having to transport folks back and forth daily.

Congratulations to the Tanzania team for their innovative planning and strategic efforts and good luck to them in their upcoming campaign!