Ifakara HDSS

Situated in the heart of the Kilombero Valley in southeastern Tanzania, the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) stands as a beacon of research excellence, contributing significantly to the advancement of public health initiatives in the region. The Kilombero District is a district in Morogoro Region, south-western Tanzania. The district is situated in a vast flood plain, between the Kilombero River in the south-east and the Udzungwa-Mountains in the north-west. On the other side of the Kilombero River, in the south-east, the
floodplain is part of Ulanga District. The area is predominantly rural with the semi-urban district headquarters Ifakara as major settlement. The majority of the villagers are subsistence farmers of maize and rice.

The IHI covers three distinct Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites (HDSS); the Ifakara Rural HDSS with a total population of 120,000 individuals, the Ifakara Urban HDSS with 45,000 individuals, and the Rufiji HDSS with a total of 100,000 individuals under surveillance. However, the total population covered by the clinical trial site is approximately 500,000 covering individuals residing within Bagamoyo and Ifakara Districts. Covering a diverse geographic area spanning the Kilombero and Ulanga districts, the IHI HDSS serves as a vital platform for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating health and demographic data.

Founded by the esteemed Ifakara Health Institute, the HDSS plays a pivotal role in informing evidence based interventions and policy decisions aimed at improving the health and well-being of local communities.