Biolarviciding for malaria vector control: Acceptance and associated factors in southern Tanzania

Athuman Yusuph Matindo; Secilia Ngʼweshemi Kapalata; Leonard Kamanga Katalambula; Eugene Benjamin Meshi; David Zadock Munisi

doi:10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100038

Biolarviciding for malaria vector control: Acceptance and associated factors in southern Tanzania

Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2021 Jun 23:1:100038. doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100038. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Athuman Yusuph Matindo¹, Secilia Ngʼweshemi Kapalata², Leonard Kamanga Katalambula³, Eugene Benjamin Meshi², David Zadock Munisi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health, Liwale District Council, Liwale, Tanzania.
² Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania.
³ Department of Public Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania.
⁴ Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania.

Abstract

In the struggle towards malaria elimination, the government of Tanzania scaled up nationwide biolarviciding to supplement existing vector control measures. As with any community-based intervention, success of biolarviciding depends on acceptability to the community. This study sought to ascertain acceptance of biolarviciding among communities in southern Tanzania. A mixed-method study involved administration of questionnaires to 400 community members, with 32 key informant interviews and five in-depth interviews also held in selected councils of southern Tanzania. A multistage sampling method was employed in selecting community members, with purposive sampling used in selecting key informant and in-depth interviewees. The study found high community acceptance (80.3%) despite very low (19.3%) knowledge on biolarviciding. Community perception that biolarvicide is effective in reducing malaria infection was found to be a significant predictor of community acceptance to biolarviciding: those who perceived biolarvicide as effective in reducing malaria were five times more likely to accept biolarviciding compared to those with a negative perception (odds ratio = 4.67, 95% CI: 1.89-11.50, P = 0.001). We conclude that biolarviciding received high acceptance among community members in southern Tanzania and therefore the implementation is likely to get strong support from community members. To enhance and make community acceptance sustainable, heath education to enhance the level of community knowledge on biolarviciding is recommended.

Keywords: Biolarviciding; Community acceptance; Malaria; Mosquitoes; Southern Tanzania.