Tanzania
Country Overview
Tanzania, an east African country with about 40 million inhabitants, is plagued by widespread and severe poverty. 60% of the population lives on less than $2 per day. The sheer size of the country and lack of infrastructure makes accessing primary health care increasingly difficult for an already disenfranchised population. The country is endemic with all seven of the most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and many Tanzanians are at risk of co-infection with two or more NTDs. Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are particularly prevalent and believed to be endemic in all regions. This is largely due to limited access to safe water and lack of environmental sanitation and education—a third of mothers admit to disposing of their children's stools within the immediate vicinity of their dwelling, thus encouraging the transmission of STHs and promoting re-infection. Due to the nutritional losses caused by NTDs, one in three Tanzanian children is underweight for their age, and almost one in two suffers from stunted growth.
Current Effort
Tanzania’s government and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare have demonstrated a notable commitment to addressing the country’s NTD burden through collaboration with international partners and local communities. National control programs have been established for individual NTDs and have expanded treatment coverage for lymphatic filariasis (LF), soil-transmitted helminthes (STHs), trachoma, onchocerciasis, and schistosomiasis. In November 2005, the National Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Control Programme (NSSCP) implemented a mass drug administration campaign in primary schools for enrolled and non-enrolled school children, reaching over 3 million children supported by the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), with retreatment in the 11 regions in September 2007. With Global Network and SCI support, another 2 million children were treated in November 2008. The LF program has expanded coverage over 7 years and reached 12 million in 2008. Thousands of individuals have been trained and morbidity control is also a priority.
Current efforts are centered on expanding the integration of NTD control activities. In addition, a President-initiated national plan to target 56 priority districts is currently under development. USAID and the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) are working with the Ministry to develop and implement integrated NTD control.
Remaining Gap
Tanzania needs international support in order to continue efforts to reduce its substantial NTD burden. President Kikwete’s leadership on NTDs has demonstrated Tanzania’s serious commitment to the international donor community. In turn donors are providing an infusion of new funding to assist the government in scaling up NTD control efforts. Current funding levels will cover 50% of the country, but additional investments of about $2 million per year could enable NTD partners in Tanzania to reach the rest of the infected and at-risk populations that are still not receiving treatment. For more information on supporting the control effort in Tanzania, please click here.
