Wang, Duoquan
Chaki, Prosper
Mlacha, Yeromin
Gavana, Tegemeo
Michael, Mihayo Gabriel
Khatibu, Rashid
Feng, Jun
Zhou, Zheng-Bin
Lin, Kang-Ming
Xia, Shang
Yan, He
Ishengoma, Deus
Rumisha, Susan
Mkude, Sigbert
Mandike, Renata
Chacky, Frank
Dismasi, Charles
Abdulla, Salim
Masanja, Honorati
Xiao, Ning
Zhou, Xiao-Nong
Funding for this research was provided by:
UK DFID (GHSP-CS-OP4-D02)
Article History
Received: 19 October 2017
Accepted: 16 November 2018
First Online: 8 January 2019
Ethics approval and consent to participate
: <i>Research ethics approval.</i>Ethical approvals for implementation of this study were granted by Chinese Centre for Disease control Ethics Review Board, IRB of the Ifakara health Institute and the Medical Research Coordination Committee (MRCC) of the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) of Tanzania. The investigators reported the projectprogress to NIPD IRB, IHI IRB and NIMR MRCC annually and within three months of study termination or completion.. These reports included the total number of participants enrolled and summaries of each of the key findings.Before the study began, community sensitization meetings were held by the project team at the district level and at specific ward level where the study was conducted in order to inform the community leaders (<i>Mwenyekiti and Viongozi</i>), key informants and District Medical Officer’s (DMO’s) office staff of the purpose and design of the study. Their permission to use the community as a study site and to inform the community members of the study’s objectives and methods were sought. Informed consent was obtained from all community leaders whose villages participated in the study.All consent were taken in order to protect participants’ wellbeing and respect for their autonomy. Informed consent were obtained directly from all adults participating in the study. For subjects < 18, consents were obtained from parents or guardians. In addition, children assents were obtained for children who were 13–18 years and lived with a parent or guardian. All consent forms were translated into Kiswahili (and verified through back translation into English). The IHI IRB and NIMR also veted ICF to ensure clarity and accuracy. For adults who could not read the form, the informed consent form were read out and explained by the local VHCW and field staff in Kiswahili in the presence of a community witness (<i>Balozi</i>). After consenting, participants were asked to mark a thumb impression on the form, and the witness was asked to sign it. It is important to advise potential participants that they can refuse to participate in the follow-up interview. Participants were also advised on the symptoms of malaria and how to obtain appropriate medical care at the nearest health facility or the mobile test stations if they observedany symptom of malaria or other vector-borne disease.The study involved observance of ethical issue of protecting people’s rights, possible inconveniences caused to them and protecting infringement of privacy. The survey teams received training on research ethics and obtaining informed consent using a short course developed at IHI on Good Clinical Practice, and were required to complete the NIH (National Institute of Health) online training course of Introduction to Responsible Conduct of Research (ExternalRef removed). The team included both male and female community health workers, and at the baseline survey sociologists supervised enrolment of participants to ensure that no infringement on human rights occured during the survey.<i>Dissemination of research results.</i>Data were prepared for a report in English for dissemination to the National Malaria Control Program and District Medical Officer. A short report of the findings in Kiswahili was prepared for participants. The results of this study were disseminated to local communities through feedback meetings. To scientific community the information will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and international conference forums. Yearly progress reports were prepared and distributed to key stakeholders including NIPD and members of the project management the District Medical Officer, Ifakara Health Institute and the National Institute of Medical Research.
: Not applicable.
: Xiao-Nong Zhou is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal <i>Infectious Diseases of Poverty</i>. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.