DAR ES SALAAM, June 10 -- A newly published study has found that rural Tanzania is still falling short of its insecticide treated bed net targets, with both ownership and usage remaining below the national benchmark, raising concerns over the countrys ambition to eliminate malaria by 2030.

The study shows that 77.6 per cent of rural residents owned insecticide treated nets, while 77.2 per cent reported sleeping under one the previous night. Both figures fall short of the government target of 80 per cent coverage.

The findings were published last month in the peer reviewed journal Malaria Journal. The study was led by Gervas Chacha of the National Institute for Medical Research, working alongside a multidisciplinary team of researchers f...