Mikono Safi

About

Mikono Safi, which means clean hands in Kiswahili, is a study taking place among school-aged children in the Kagera Region, North-West Tanzania. The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of a behaviour change intervention that promotes hand washing with soap, in reducing both the prevalence and infection intensity of Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH) (Ascaris lumbricoides and Triuchuris trichiura).  

The cluster randomised controlled intervention trial is being conducted in fourteen schools in the region. The trial is led by the Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU), a collaborative research unit of the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).  

In the region, the mean prevalence of STH among school children is approximately 25%. If the intervention is effective in reducing infections, it could be rolled out to other schools in North-West Tanzania.