Above and Beyond in Tanzania

This week’s Fist Bump goes to the VectorLink Tanzania team for an IRS campaign that featured new innovations for the country and placed a significant emphasis on protecting vulnerable populations. The project worked closely with the National Malaria Control Program and Office of the President to successfully implement IRS in two districts in mainland Tanzania from October 5th – November 4th, 2022.

The innovations were in the realm of environmental compliance. Soak pits during this year’s IRS campaign had two new features: water availability outside the soak pit area, and a rinsing station for SOPs’ gumboots before entering the main washing slab. Spray operators could collect the water needed to clean themselves up after cleaning their equipment without having to go back into the soak pit areas, and rinse stations prevented dirt and other buildup in the gumboots from clogging the drainage system in the wash area.

VL Tanzania has also been a leader in reaching vulnerable populations with IRS. Much of their campaign focused on two refugee camps, Nduta and Nyarugusu in Tanzania’s Kasulu and Kibondo districts. Like last year, the District IRS Technical Teams took the lead with VL Tanzania providing technical assistance. The team also sprayed a total of five jail cells, four for men and one for women, in response to a request made to the district medical officer from the Kibondo Prison Department. A total of 136 inmates received protection from malaria. In total, the team sprayed over 240,000 structures, protecting around 945,000 people.

Well done, VL Tanzania. Here’s to continually finding new ways to improve the campaign!