United Republic of Tanzania

About United Republic of Tanzania (URT)

Tanganyika united with the Island of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania, the largest of the East African countries.

Tanzania is located east of Africa's Great Lakes north of Mozambique and south of Kenya, it has a coastline at the Indian Ocean in east. The nation is bordered by six other African countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia, it also shares maritime borders with the Comoros and the Seychelles. It has shorelines at three of the Great Lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyassa (Lake Malawi).

The country occupies an area of 945,087 km². Tanzania has a population of 54.2 million people, capital is Dodoma; largest city, chief port, major economic and transportation hub and de facto capital is Dar es Salaam. Spoken languages are Swahili and English (both official), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar).

  • Cerebral Spinal Meningitis
  • Cholera
  • Yellow fever
  • Plague
  • Measles
  • Rabies
  • Acute Flaccid Paralysis
  • Blood diarrhea
  • Anthrax
  • Viral hemorrhagic  fevers
  • Human influenza caused by new subtypes
  • Neonatal Tetanus
  • Epidemic viral keratoconjuctivitis
  • Small Pox
  • Maternal Death
  • Malnutrition
  • Animal Bites
  • Pneumonia < 5 years
  • Diarrhea < 5 years
  • Typhoid
  • Tick borne relapsing fever
  • Onchocerciasis
  • Trachoma
  • Trypanosomiasis
  • Malaria

Tanzania is making a progressive improvement in universal RMNCAH, HIV/AIDS and Nutrition coverage across the country; however maternal health target to reduce to reduce it by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio was not achieved. More so, positive progress was also made on children 1-year old immunized against measles; whereas the reduction by two thirds between 1990 and 2015 of under-five and Infant mortality rates were realized, however, neonatal mortality rate is yet stagnated. The combat against HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases well halted and minimized the spread of the diseases.

  • RMNCAH 
  • Immunization & Vaccines Development 
  • Communicable Diseases 
  • Non Communicable Diseases 
  • Neglected Tropical Diseases 
  • Epidemiology & Diseases Control 
  • Nutrition 
  • Primary Eye Care
  • RMNCAH 
  • Immunization & Vaccines Development
  •  Communicable Diseases
  •  Non Communicable Diseases
  •  Neglected Tropical Diseases
  •  Epidemiology & Diseases Control
  •  Nutrition
  •  Primary Eye Care
  • About 19% of households have an improved sanitation facility not shared with other households, and 16% use a shared facility. Two-thirds (65%) of households use a non-improved toilet facility, while 10% of households have no toilet facility.
  • Households in rural areas have higher access to improved sanitation than urban areas (35% vs. 10%). Rural Mainland households are more likely than urban Mainland households to have no toilet facility (13% versus 2%).
  • About 61% of households in Tanzania have an improved source of water. Improved sources of water include piped water, public taps, standpipes, tube wells, boreholes, protected dug wells and springs, rainwater, and bottled water. The most commonly used improved source of drinking water is the public tap. 39% of households have an unimproved source of water such as unprotected wells or streams or surface waters. Households in urban mainland areas and Zanzibar have higher access to an improved source of water than rural mainland households.
  • About 59% of children age 0-5 months in Tanzania are being exclusively breastfed. Although, the exclusive breastfeeding decreases with age.
  • Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of a child’s life because breast milk is uncontaminated and contains all of the nutrients necessary for children in the first few months of life. In addition, the mother’s antibodies in breast milk provide immunity to disease.
  • The early initiation of breastfeeding is important for a number of reasons. Early suckling benefits mothers because it stimulates breast milk production and releases a hormone that helps the uterus to contract and reduce postpartum blood loss. It also fosters bonding between mother and child. 98% of infants are ever breastfed.
  • Micronutrients are essential vitamins and minerals required for good health. Vitamin A, which prevents blindness and infection, is particularly important for children. In 2015/16 TDHS-MIS showed that, 24-hours before the survey 76% of children age 6-23 months ate foods rich in vitamin A, 41% of children age 6-59 months received a vitamin A supplement in the 6 months prior to the survey. Furthermore, about 36% of children consumed iron-rich foods in the day before the survey and only 2% were given an iron supplement in the week before the survey.

Useful Links

 http://moh.go.tz

Development of WhatsApp groups in 8 Zones of Tanzania mainland, aiming at assisting in providing technical consultation and expertise management, wherever the Obstetric and Neonatal Emergency occurs. It has highly complimented to workforce shortage in under staffed facilities, commodities and supplies stock out rate; which has ultimately improved accountability and commitment among maternal and child health service providers and improved pregnancy outcome and avert significant number of maternal and perinatal deaths

Functioning MPDSR, on which notification of any maternal-related death within 24-hours should be done, and all maternal deaths are mandatorily reviewed and responded accordingly.

The members of the WhatsApp groups are multi-disciplinary ranging from pharmacist, lab technician, anesthetists, nurses, doctors, maternal and labour staff, administrators and managers (RMO, DMO, Zonal RCH-Cor, District RCH-Cor)

Key health Stakeholders

MDAs, WHO, UNICEF, UNPFA, UNAIDS, WB, USAID, GFATM, GFF, UKAID, SIDA, CIDA, DANIDA, Irish AID, Community, Local NGOs, Academia, Research Institutes