Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey ... - Measure DHS

11.6 SOURCE OF MOSQUITO NETSUntil late 2008, when free distribution of LLINs began in Tanzania, mosquito nets weremainly obtained through the commercial sector. They are sold as ordinary commodities in retailoutlets or they are available at a subsidized rate through government health programmes. The same istrue for insecticide treatment kits for mosquito nets. The Government health subsidy programme,referred to as the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme (TNVS) or Hati Punguzo Programme, providesvouchers for all pregnant women and infants who attend health facilities. Vouchers can be exchangedfor a mosquito net at designated private outlets (with a small upfront cost). Occasionally, mosquitonets are distributed free of charge to households with children under five through specific healthcampaigns.In the 2007-08 THMIS, respondents in households with mosquito nets were asked about thesources of the nets. Table 11.9 shows, among households with at least one mosquito net, thepercentage of households that obtained the nets from specific sources, and the percentage ofhouseholds that received the mosquito nets under the Hati Punguzo programme. Shops are the leadingsource of mosquito nets in Mainland Tanzania (33 percent) while health facilities are the leadingsource in Zanzibar (55 percent). The second most common source of mosquito nets in the Mainland isthe Hati Punguzo programme (21 percent), and in Zanzibar it is shops (52 percent).Similar proportions of urban and rural households obtained mosquito nets from Hati Punguzo(19 and 21 percent, respectively) and health facilities (19 and 22 percent, respectively). Shops aremore likely to be the source of mosquito nets in urban households (54 percent) than in ruralhouseholds (27 percent).As expected, households in the highest wealth quintile (59 percent) are more likely thanhouseholds in the lowest wealth quintile (18 percent) to obtain a mosquito net from a shop. The samedifferential is observed in households where mothers have a secondary or higher education (64percent) compared with households where mothers have no education (27 percent). Hati Punguzo as asource of mosquito nets is not associated with the education level of the mother or the economic statusof households.There are minor differences in the percentage of people obtaining mosquito nets through theHati Punguzo programme across the 21 regions of Mainland Tanzania, ranging from 12 percent inIringa to 33 percent in each Lindi and Mtwara. Regional differences are sharper among householdswhose main source of a mosquito net is a shop, ranging from 12 percent in Iringa to 55 percent inMara.146 | Malaria