Enabling targeted mass drug administration for schistosomiasis in north-western Tanzania
Exploring the use of geostatistical modeling to inform planning at sub-district level
- Authors
- Jake D. Mathewson, Linda van der Spek, Humphrey D. Mazigo, George Kabona, Sake J. de Vlas, Andreas Nshala, Ente J. J. Rood
- Publication year
- 2024
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease in Tanzania affecting over 50% of the population. Current control strategies involve mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns at the district level, which have led to problems of over- and under-treatment in different areas.
WHO guidelines have called for more targeted MDA to circumvent these problems, however a scarcity of prevalence data inhibits decision makers from prioritizing sub-district areas for MDA. This study demonstrated how geostatistics can be used to inform planning for targeted MDA.