To measure the feasibility of using a PPES sampling approach with segmentation within each EA to measure coverage. In addition to collecting data on coverage the team also used mobile devices to collect data on time and distance traveled as well as the availability of village registers. These data contribute to the larger coverage evaluation study taking place in multiple countries.

Preliminary Findings and Lessons Learned

Coverage surveys are an important tool for programs to evaluate their reporting systems and to determine whether effective MDA coverage has been achieved. However, for various reasons coverage surveys are seldom implemented.  Some key challenges are: perceived technical difficulty, lack of resources, and lack of standardized guidance on how to conduct coverage surveys.  This protocol seeks to pilot a newly refined probability sampling with segmentation approach in 2 districts in Malawi.  The two surveys found that the survey coverage was above the WHO target thresholds for Zithromax. Furthermore, the team found the survey methodology to be clear and feasible to implement.  This adds further evidence to the previous studies that support the use of the segmentation approach for coverage surveys across all 5 PC NTDs.