Tanzania

VectorLink Tanzania supports the implementation of IRS in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. It aims to move the country toward PMI’s goal of halving the burden of malaria in 70 percent of at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa. This is consistent with the 2020–2025 malaria strategy of the Mainland Tanzania NMCP. That strategy seeks to ensure that Tanzanians have access to good-quality, effective, safe, and affordable malaria interventions through timely and sustainable collaborative efforts with partners and stakeholders at all levels. VectorLink Tanzania also supports the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Program (ZAMEP) in its work to achieve malaria elimination in Zanzibar by 2023.

In 2020, VectorLink Tanzania conducted IRS in six Mainland Tanzania districts (Kasulu, Kibondo, Kakonko, Biharamulo, Bukombe and Ukerewe), three United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees-managed refugee camps (Mtendeli in Kakonko, Nduta in Kibondo, and Nyarugusu in Kasulu), and selected shehias across 10 districts in Zanzibar, spraying a total of 598,973 structures from November through December 2020 (Mainland) and in February 2021 (Zanzibar). The project achieved IRS coverage above the 85% threshold for both Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

In 2021, the project conducted IRS in six Mainland Tanzania districts and three UNHCR-managed refugee camps, spraying a total of 568,484 structures in Mainland Tanzania. The spray campaign was conducted from October 2021 through December 2021. The project achieved IRS coverage of 93% and protected 2,081,886 people from malaria, including 76,358 pregnant women and 394,668 children under five. The project closed out activities in Zanzibar in June 2022.

In year five, (July 2022 – June 2023), PMI VectorLink Tanzania will work with the NMCP and President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) in Mainland Tanzania, and regional administrations and local governments in the locations indicated above to spray 237,727 targeted structures. The project’s primary IRS objective is to reach a minimum coverage of 85% of the structures found in each IRS district by implementing high-quality IRS operations. The project will implement World Health Organization (WHO) and PMI guidelines on the prevention of COVID-19 before and during IRS and will also comply with the Government of Tanzania’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

The project will carry out the following activities in collaboration with key stakeholders:

  • Conduct logistics assessment in all districts, and arrange all procurement, shipping, delivery, and storage of IRS commodities.
  • Strengthen the IRS logistics and warehousing system through enhanced training, supervision, and digitalizing of insecticide tracking.
  • Conduct environmental compliance assessments (Environmental Audit and Environmental Social and Impact Assessment) in consultation with PMI and the National Environmental Management Council.
  • Coordinate community mobilization activities in collaboration with stakeholders to raise awareness of IRS and to encourage beneficiary and stakeholder ownership.
  • To ensure sustainability, involve all leadership from the national, regional, district and the grassroots levels, such as hamlet leaders who have been involved since the start of the project.
  • Recruit IRS personnel from the beneficiary communities, e.g., spray operators, mobilizers, team leaders, and supervisors, in collaboration with district offices. The recruitment of spray operators from their communities will bring a sense of ownership and play a big role in sensitizing the communities earmarked for spraying.
  • Collaborate with other partners on information, education, and communication (IEC), especially with the Breakthrough ACTION project, social and behavior change (SBC) unit of the Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Section, and the NMCP.
  • Mainstream gender equality, social inclusion, youth and female empowerment by ensuring women’s equitable participation across project activities, such as spray operations, supervision, community mobilization, entomology, and spray planning.
  • Conduct entomological monitoring (spray quality and residual efficacy bioassays, vector density monitoring, and behavioral studies) aimed at providing useful data that will inform enhanced and effective IRS.
  • Engage refugees in IRS in their camps by involving them in site security, washing, water fetching, and community mobilization across all two refugee camps.
  • Ensure safe and correct insecticide application, thus minimizing human and environmental exposure to IRS insecticides, in compliance with the Safer Use Action Plan in the Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA).
  • Continue the VectorLink Collect mobile data collection by spray operators at full capacity in the two districts.
  • Use the KoboCollect mobile application to document environmental compliance incidents and report on them during the campaign for timely follow-up.

VectorLink Tanzania Fact Sheet

Success Stories:

At Tanzania’s Refugee Camps, Local Health Teams Take the Lead

PMI Pilots New WHO-Recommended Insecticide