As the summertime begins to settle in, my mind is already drifting to the tropical shores of Zanzibar, Tanzania. This summer, I am doing my practicum with The UNC Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Ecology Lab (IDEEL) joining their ZIM (Zanzibar Imported Malaria) Study. With a goal to contribute to the efforts of malaria elimination on the archipelago, I am eager to dive into the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.
The UNC Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Ecology Lab (IDEEL) is focused on improving the understanding of infectious diseases around the world through interdisciplinary research. It is composed of a diverse team of investigators from UNC, Brown University, and Imperial College. Their areas of research include malaria, syphilis, diarrheal diseases, and hepatitis among others. The project I will be working on is the ZIM (Zanzibar Imported Malaria) Study. The project goal is to understand the main drivers of imported malaria cases from mainland Tanzania to Zanzibar. For my practicum, I will be focused on designing and conducting surveys aimed at assessing the knowledge, behaviors, and perceptions/acceptability of proposed malaria interventions among travelers in Zanzibar. This data will inform patterns of transmission, and risk behaviors and pave the way for future pilot intervention programs targeting the reduction of imported malaria cases.
For the past three weeks, I have been working on the design of the surveys by exploring ONA, a mobile data collection tool and survey software. I have been honing my coding skills to tailor traveler surveys specifically designed to gather valuable insights into the dynamics of imported malaria cases. We are still in the development stage as this process requires a lot of testing of the different technological features as well as assessing the feasibility and user-friendliness of the surveys through practice runs. As I am preparing to leave the US for Zanzibar, I look forward to being immersed in the Zanzibari culture and interacting with local public health experts from the Zanzibar Elimination Program and community members. I am also excited to see how the surveys will unfold as this study will provide important data which will be essential to implement a pilot intervention addressing imported malaria cases and striving towards eliminating malaria in Zanzibar.
Rokhaya